Revenge I: Saccharin Sweet
by kstorm
Summary: Harm has sent many to Leavenworth. What happens when three of them escape?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Revenge I: Saccharin Sweet

Author: kstorm

Spoilers: Any episode through the end of season 7 may be referred to (and quite a few are)

Disclaimer: I wish I owned these characters—one especially—but I don't. Please don't get upset with me for using them.

WARNING: Contains violence.

Notes: This is the first fic I started. I've gone over it for spelling and grammar – as I still am not using a beta – but haven't changed anything else.

Revenge

Chapter 1

JAG HQ

2100 Zulu

Friday, May 31, 2002

Commander Harmon Rabb knocks on the door then opens it far enough to stick his head through the doorway. "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Come in Rabb and close the door behind you," Admiral AJ Chegwidden replies. He is seated in his chair facing the window behind his desk. He turns as the Commander enters. Clayton Webb is standing next to AJ's desk.

"Where are you with the Arams case, Commander?"

"I'm still working on the papers, Sir."

"When does the hearing start?"

"Next Wednesday."

"Will you be ready?"

"I believe I will have all of the information by then. I'm nearly finished, just having a little trouble with the technical aspects of the final papers." Harm glances from AJ to Webb. "Is that what this is about?"

Webb looks uncomfortable. "Word has leaked out that you have the information and are able to decipher the code. I understand you're planning on going to California for the weekend?"

"I fly out at 1900. Should I change my plans?"

"No. I need you to keep those plans. By the time you return I expect to have found the leak and there won't be any problems."

"What if you aren't able to find the leak, Webb?" AJ asks.

"We'll provide Commander Rabb with security if this isn't resolved over the weekend. In the meantime, no one will know he's in California, so he'll be safe there." He holds up a hand forestalling AJ's comment. "If I don't find the leak, there will be a team to meet Rabb when he lands Sunday night."

AJ looks at Harm. "Any problems with that, Commander?"

"No sir," Harm replies. He doesn't trust Webb, but he does trust his CO.

"Bring all related materials to me before you leave for the evening, Commander. I want to take a look at what you've deciphered so far."

"Aye sir. I'll get them now." Harm snaps to attention and leaves the office to retrieve the documents.

AJ turns to Webb as the door closes behind Harm. "Webb, you'd better not be involving Rabb in another one of your schemes."

"I assure you, Admiral, you know as much as I do about all of this. I'm not really sure what information got out, but I wanted to cover all of the bases. I expect to have this wrapped up before Monday."

"I hope so, Webb."

A quick knock precedes Harm's reentry into AJ's office. He carries with him two folders. He hands the thickest one to AJ first. "This one has the information from Arams. The other contains all of my notes. There's nothing on my computer. I've kept it strictly on paper."

AJ glances at the files and places them on his desk. "I'll put these in my safe when I'm finished with them. See me first thing Monday morning, Commander, and I'll return these to you."

"Aye sir."

"You're dismissed, Commander. Give my regards to your mother."

"Yes sir." Harm snaps to attention one more time then turns neatly on the balls of his feet and walks to the door.

"Rabb," Webb stops him just before he exits the room.

"What is it, Webb?"

"Be careful."

"I always am when you're involved, Webb."

xxx

Harm heads through the bullpen and enters his office.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry tonight, Commander?"

"I have to get ready for a 1900 flight, Colonel," Harm replies, sticking his head out his door.

"Admiral Chegwidden is sending you on a case over the weekend?" she asks incredously.

"No, I'm on my way to San Diego to visit my mother. He and Webb want me out of town for the weekend."

"Why?" she inquires stopping at his office door.

He steps out of the doorway and motions for her to come in the office. She reads his unspoken request and shuts the door behind her. "Webb is concerned about a leak. He thinks someone has given out information that I have the materials from the Arams case. He wants the weekend to find and plug his leak."

"And he doesn't want to use you as bait?" She smiles ruefully, remembering some of their previous dealings with Webb. "That doesn't sound much like Webb."

"Apparently Webb believes he can find his leak without dangling me from his hook." Harm gathers his briefcase, coat and cover and heads for the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. "Now, if he hasn't found his leak before I return…" His voice trails off; they both know what might happen with Webb involved.

"Then you will be the bait."

"Only if Webb promises to take good care of me. The admiral doesn't approve of this whole scenario. If Webb doesn't have his leak plugged by the time I return, he's promised to have a team in place to keep an eye on me." He flashes Mac a grin. "I wouldn't put it past the admiral to make Clay take that assignment on himself."

They share a laugh at the thought of Webb personally protecting Harm. Mac returns to their earlier conversation. "I take it you're flying." At his nod she admonishes, "be careful out there, Flyboy."

"Gotta keep up my hours," he flashes her another grin and opens the door. "Enjoy your weekend. I'll see you when I get back."

"Take care of yourself Harm," she says under her breath as he walks through the bullpen to the elevator.

xxx

The hallway is full of shadows as Harm steps off the elevator at. He closes the doors on the old-fashioned car and turns for his apartment. He doesn't see the shadow breaking off from the rest and heading for him as he unlocks the door.

The door opens as he is reaching for the knob. He stares in shock at the face he sees.

"Palmer. What are you doing here?" He begins to back up in preparation to leave. The feel of the barrel of a gun in his back stops him. He puts his hands at waist height and moves them away from his body. His briefcase dangles from two fingers.

"Come in, Commander," Palmer taunts. "Ah, I see you've brought work home with you over the weekend." He motions for Harm to enter the apartment and takes the briefcase from his hand.

"You haven't answered my question Palmer," Harm says as he steps through the doorway.

Palmer is already at the kitchen counter trying to open the briefcase but it's locked. "I'm here to see you, Commander. Open the briefcase."

"I don't think so, Palmer." The mystery person at his back closes and locks the door before stepping into Harm's line of sight. "Chief Hodge?" Harm sounds confused. "What's going on, Palmer?"

"Open the briefcase, Rabb."

"There's nothing in there that would interest you," Harm says.

"Well then, open it so I can see for myself."

"All right, fine." As Harm walks to the counter and unlocks the briefcase, Palmer walks to the other side of the counter. Once he has the briefcase unlocked, Harm knows better than to open it. He slides it across to Palmer.

"Very smart, Commander. Glad I didn't have to have Hodge here shoot you." Palmer opens the briefcase and rifles through the folders inside. He doesn't find what he's looking for. "The Arams files. Where are they?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Palmer," Harm replies.

"Don't fool with me. I know you've been assigned the Arams case. Where are the files you have been deciphering?"

"I don't know who your informant is, but you received faulty information. Besides, I'm on leave this weekend. I don't bring home any work when I'm not going to be working."

"I know you're working the case. And I know the way you work. You don't take leave the weekend before a major case. That's two strikes against you, don't make it three. Where are the files?" Palmer is getting steamed.

"Palmer, you're misinformed," is all Harm says.

"I believe you are going to regret that decision, Commander." He nods to Hodge who has been out of Harm's view.

"Hey," Harm says when Hodge sticks him with a needle.

"It worked the last time. At least until the major showed up."

"Wha…" Harm begins as he goes to his knees then falls forward.

Palmer pulls a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket and locks them around Harm's wrists, pinning his arms behind his back. "Let's get cracking. That should hold him when he comes around."

The two men proceed to methodically search every nook and cranny in Harm's apartment. They do it neatly, putting everything back where they found it. They even search the packed bag sitting on Harm's bed.

The sedative has numbed Harm's senses. He can hear Palmer and Hodge search his apartment. He is grateful the Admiral decided to take custody of the papers. He knew he shouldn't have even thought about bringing them along for his weekend, but he had been planning on trying to finish up the papers on his 'vacation'. With the knowledge they won't find anything, Harm gives into the pull of the drug and loses himself.

xxx

0005 Zulu

Andrews Air Force Base

"Sir, Commander Rabb was scheduled to take off 5 minutes ago. I just checked with the front gate and he hasn't signed in yet." The officer in charge of air traffic reports to his CO.

"Have you tried to contact him at JAG Headquarters?" the CO asks. "He could have been sent on assignment and not remembered to cancel his flight.

"I'll check on it, sir."

"In the meantime, make a note of it and have the front gate inform me when Commander Rabb arrives."

"Yes, sir."

xxx

Their search complete, neither man has found any hint of the papers. Palmer approaches Harm and muscles him to a sitting position.

"Where are they?" Harm, still muddled but awake, doesn't answer. "You must have left them at your office. Guess you'll have to take me to get them."

Harm gives Palmer a look of astonishment. "You really think I'm going to take you to my office and turn the papers over to you?" His speech is somewhat slurred due to the sedative.

"So you now admit you have been given the papers."

"I don't admit to anything, Palmer. All I'm saying is I will not take you to JAG HQ for any reason except to expedite your return to Leavenworth."

"Wrong answer. You see, you're not in a position to deny anything at the moment. Let's get this started," he says to Hodge.

Hodge opens the bag at his waist and removes two syringes. The first he uses on Palmer, the second on Harm.

"What is that?" Harm asks. He's slow to react and didn't have a chance to put up even a token protest.

"Antidote."

"Antidote for what?" Harm is confused.

"For the nerve gas I have." Palmer and Hodge get Harm to his feet and walk him to the door.

"You must've been exposed too," Harm says to Hodge.

"It hasn't been released yet. Just be patient."

Still fighting the effects of the sedative, Harm can offer no resistance as they take him down the elevator and into a waiting vehicle.

Harm is 'helped' into the back seat of the SUV. Palmer and Hodge get in on either side of him. A third, unidentified man drives.

A short distance from JAG HQ, the vehicle stops. Palmer turns to Harm. "Here's what's going to happen, Commander. You are going to drive

to HQ and you and I are going to go inside. If you attempt to tip off the gate guard, I WILL shoot him. At the moment you are not expendable, but anyone we encounter is, so be convincing."

"What then?" Harm asks.

"Then you will get us into the building and head directly for your office. I was sure you would have the papers with you this evening, but you must've left them at your office. We're going to go inside and get them."

"You can't shoot everyone in the building. Even if you try, I'll take you down."

"That's where the antidote you received comes in. If you try to summon any help, I will release the nerve gas in the building. The deaths of everyone will be on your hands."

"This isn't going to work, Palmer." As he gets out of the vehicle and approaches the driver's door under Palmer's watchful gaze, he finally gets a glimpse of the driver. He's sure he's seen him before, but with the fuzziness of the sedative still in his system, he can't place a name with the face.

"Why not?"

"Your plans never work, Palmer. I've always stopped you before and I'll stop you this time."

"Just what makes you so sure? It's Friday. You won't be missed until Monday," Palmer states confidently.

Harm shrugs as he gets behind the wheel of his vehicle. "You know that bag that was sitting on my bed? I was scheduled to fly out of Andrews at 1900. I was flying to Miramar to spend the weekend visiting my mother."

"Nice try Rabb, but I don't believe you. Now drive. And remember, no tricks."

Harm shrugs again in a gesture that can only mean I told you so. He gets them past the gate guard with no problems and parks in his usual space. Palmer grabs his arm before he can get out of the vehicle. "You run, they will shoot you. Not to kill, just to slow you down." He gives Harm a pointed look. "You can be sure it will hurt."

Harm looks at the two men in the back seat before shaking off Palmer's hand and getting out of the vehicle.

xxx

It's after midnight at the beginning of a long weekend. Harm signs in with the duty officer and explains Palmer is there to help him with a case. The officer hands Harm a phone message. Somehow, Palmer doesn't see the exchange between the two men. Harm leads the way to his office, surreptitiously reading the message as he walks. The message is from Andrews AFB, checking to see if he will be taking his flight.

He deliberately stops in the doorway to his office. Palmer shoves him forward then turns around to close the door and blinds. Once he's confident no one can see in he turns on the lights.

Harm catches himself on his desk. He takes a quick look at Palmer who is closing the door and grabs a pencil off his desk. He quickly slips it up his sleeve along with the message from Andrews.

Palmer turns around as Harm is straightening up. He takes the handcuffs out of his pocket. "Can't have you interfering with my search," he says once again locking Harm's wrists behind his back. "Why don't you sit back and relax." He pushes Harm into his chair and begins to search the office.

Careful not to catch Palmer's attention, Harm tries to write the names Palmer and Hodge on the paper. It is difficult to do as he is practically sitting on his hands and they are behind his back, but he is confident someone will eventually find the message. He slips it into the crack at the back of the chair and positions the pencil such that anyone who sits in the chair and leans back will be jabbed by it.

Thirty minutes later, Palmer has searched the entire office and still hasn't found the papers he's looking for. "Where are they?" he demands.

"I've told you several times I don't have them," Harm answers exasperatedly. "Why won't you believe anything I tell you?"

"Because you are a lawyer and you're paid to lie."

"As a lawyer my first duty is to the truth. I was after the truth at Twenty-Nine Palms. That is why you lost, Palmer. The truth is a lot easier than lies."

"You were lucky at Twenty-Nine Palms. If you had backed off like you were ordered, you probably wouldn't be here now."

"What do you mean by that?" Harm asks. "Is this all somehow connected to the Bradenhurst Corporation?"

Palmer ignores him. "Where are the files, Commander?"

Harm shrugs and lets his question pass. He knows the truth about that too. "I don't have them."

"How about opening your wall safe?"

"There are no files in there pertaining to the case."

"I don't believe you," Palmer says. "Open the safe."

Harm decides not to press Palmer for the sake of those working. The files are not in his safe, so he decides to do as he is asked. "Are you going to remove these?" Harm indicates his handcuffs.

Palmer pulls Harm out of the chair and unlocks the handcuffs. He doesn't see the small note Harm has hidden in the seat.

"Open it."

Harm opens the safe and steps back. Palmer rifles through the papers in the safe, but they are not what he's looking for.

"Last time. Where are they?" Palmer is now angry.

"As I've told you, I don't have them. Wherever you got your information, you'd better check the source." Harm returns calmly.

Palmer realizes he's hit a brick wall—he can't search any of the other offices and he doesn't want to tip anyone that there might be a problem. "Fine, let's go," he says.

Harm can't believe Palmer is giving up so easily, but he doesn't argue. "I don't have to remind you of the consequences of rash behavior, do I?" Palmer reminds him.

"What would be the point; I don't have what you want."

They leave Harm's office and the building without incident. Harm once again gets behind the wheel. "Where to?"

"Take us back to the lot you drove us from, Commander."

Harm returns them to where they turned the vehicle over to him. By this time the effects of the sedative have completely worn off. He knows his chances against three are slim, but he doesn't intend to let any of them get away. He turns off the vehicle and turns to Palmer. "Now what?"

"Now you take a little nap, Commander," Hodge answers. He has another syringe ready and jabs Harm before he can react. It takes just a moment for this new sedative to take effect. Harm opens his door, jumps out, but makes it only a few steps before he collapses.

Palmer and the third man pick Harm up and carry him to the back of the vehicle where Hodge is waiting. "We'll just tell anyone who asks that our friend here has had a bit too much to drink. As his good buddies, we're taking him home to sleep it off." Palmer locks the rear of the vehicle then gestures for Hodge to sit in the back seat. "Watch him closely," he tells Hodge. Palmer and the third man climb into the front seats with Palmer driving.


	2. Chapter 2

Revenge

Chapter 2

Palmer guides the SUV through a maze of streets and alleys; their destination is a parking garage. He maneuvers the vehicle down to the lowest floor before beginning his search. Finally, in the farthest corner, he locates what he's looking for. Palmer pulls the SUV into an empty space next to an old van, white with green striping. A man climbs out of the driver seat and approaches Palmer's window. He is just over five feet tall, with a noticeable beer belly. His hair, once dark now mostly gray, is receding. Sharp blue eyes glance at the men in the SUV and a cigarette dangles from one corner of his mouth.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show," the man says to Palmer. "You were supposed to be here hours ago."

"We ran into a few problems Nabey," Palmer explains. "Rabb didn't have the files with him. We ended up searching his home and office and still didn't find them. How sure is the report?" he wants to know.

"Banes went in himself. He's positive Rabb has the information."

"We couldn't find anything. But we didn't come empty handed," he smirks.

"What do you mean?" the little man asks.

"See for yourself," Palmer says directing him to look in the back of the SUV.

Hodge and the third man have followed the conversation with interest, both men listening intently as they gather anything that might give away their presence in the vehicle. Palmer hands Hodge the keys who, understanding the unspoken request, exits the vehicle and circles around to the rear where Nabey is attempting to see into the vehicle. Hodge unlocks the rear of the vehicle and raises it, revealing a Harmon Rabb who's just beginning to stir.

Palmer and the third man join Hodge and Nabey at the rear of the vehicle. "Doesn't look like much, does he," Palmer smirks.

"Who is he?" Nabey asks.

"The object of our affection," Palmer answers, indicating himself and the other two.

"This is Rabb?"

"Yeah. Now when you bring Arams back, he won't have any reason not to give us the information straight. We'll have our own 'truth finder' here."

"From what I've heard, this guy isn't going to help us any. Especially if it means helping you Palmer." Nabey says sarcastically.

"Arams won't know that. Let's get moving since we're already behind schedule."

Hodge and the third man quickly retrieve their bags from the SUV and transfer them to the van. Nabey walks over to them. "Guess I should introduce myself. I'm Larry Nabey, DSD."

"Hodge," Hodge says quietly. "My last posting was as chief corpsman on the Watertown."

"Sturtevant," the third man says. "Formerly master-at-arms on the Suribachi."

"You're both Navy?" Nabey says shocked. "Palmer doesn't like the Navy."

"Actually, Palmer simply doesn't like a certain naval officer," the man in question says. "The rest of the Navy I could really care less about."

"Which officer would that be?" Nabey asks.

"That one," Palmer says pointing to Harm who has been listening to the conversation with interest. He manages to catch the name of the last of his kidnappers and understanding is slowly developing.

"So this is more than just business for you." It's a statement, not a question.

"Purely personal. It was just business in the beginning, but I'm way past that now." Palmer turns to Harm. "Come on Commander. Time to change vehicles…and clothes." He rummages around in the gear Hodge and Sturtevant have transferred from the SUV to the van and comes up with a pair of sweats. Harm carefully slides out of the rear of the SUV and climbs into the van, Hodge by his side to make sure he doesn't fall—or try to escape. Palmer tosses the sweats at Harm who changes without protest or comment, only his eyes betraying the rage he's feeling.

Harm surreptitiously looks around with while he's changing. The interior of the van has been partially furnished, with a loft taking up the back half of the vehicle. A soft, brown, fur-like carpet covers the loft making it very inviting for sleeping. Carpet covers the floor of the van, thick, orangeish shag that somehow doesn't look out of place. The space underneath the loft is used for storage, accessible from the rear of the van. The front of the storage space is taken by two cabinets and a small refrigerator. Supplies of food and drink have been provided—the van is stocked for a cross-country trip. Windows in the rear, side and side door have curtains—all tightly closed. There is also a curtain—open for the moment—hanging behind the front seats that will cut off any view of the road ahead when drawn.

Once Harm has finished changing, Palmer gathers his rumpled uniform. "I'd like the ring and watch as well," he says. Harm's eyes again flash with anger, but he hands over the requested items. Palmer exits with Harm's belongings and for a brief moment Harm wonders what his chances are for an escape. Almost before the thought is formed, his hopes are squashed. Sturtevant joins Hodge in the van, handing the other man a small case.

"Easy or hard, Commander. You choose," Hodge says opening the case.

Harm doesn't see the point in making trouble for himself at this time; he opts to go along and find out what they're up to before attempting to make his escape. Once again the only protests he lodges are with his eyes. Hodge notes the defeat behind the anger and hands Harm a cup of water after surreptitiously emptying the contents of a small packet in it. "Drink it all Commander," he instructs.

Harm does as he's told, suspecting but not knowing for sure, that Hodge has placed a strong sedative in the water. Combined with the sedative still in his system, it takes only a minute or two before Harm succumbs to the darkness once again.

Palmer joins them a couple of minutes later. Nabey has taken the SUV and left the keys to the van with them. "How long will that keep him out?"

"It's different than what I gave him before. He won't be out the entire time but he also won't be alert enough to give us any trouble," Hodge says. 'Or at least I hope not,' he says under his breath.

"Do you have enough for a couple of days?" Palmer asks.

"That and more," Hodge responds.

"Good. I want him to stay that way the entire trip. The less he knows about the trip the less trouble we should have with him." Palmer looks at the ceiling in the van and back down at the carpeting on the floor. He runs his hand over the carpet, smiling when he finds what he's looking for. He pulls the handcuffs out of his pocket and locks one of the ends around a ring mostly hidden in the carpeting. The other end he locks around Harm's right wrist, not caring for a moment that it will make the entire trip less comfortable for the officer. Harm is now lying with his head toward the front of the van, his legs bent with his feet partially curled under him, thanks to the minimal space on the floor of the van. "This will ensure he doesn't give us any trouble," he says.

"How can he give us any trouble if he's sedated?" Sturtevant asks.

"Trust me, he can," Hodge offers. Palmer and Sturtevant exchange a glance, wondering if there's more to the story between Hodge and Harm than they have heard.

"We'll go in shifts of four hours. That way at each change of shift Hodge can make sure Rabb has had his 'medicine'. Make sure when you're driving that you don't exceed the speed limit. We'll be traveling off the main roads as far as we can, but I still don't want to take any chances. Our route is marked on the map in the glove compartment. If there are no objections, I suggest we get going."

"Are there only the two seats?" Hodge wants to know as he's the first one in the back with Harm.

"Sorry, I completely forgot," Palmer says. He walks to the rear of the van and pulls out a peanut shaped wicker chair. Hodge and Sturtevant

realize what the rings in the floor and ceiling are for when Palmer attaches the clips on the chair to them. "I didn't really think anyone would want a chair back here. If you want to sleep, just unclip the chair and put it on the loft. It's not really safe to sleep up there when the van's moving," he says with a smile. When no further objections or questions are raised, the three men climb into their respective seats, Palmer driving, Sturtevant navigating and Hodge in back watching Harm. They pull out of the parking space, make their way out of the garage, stopping to pay the parking fee and are on the road in a few minutes.

xxx

Dawn has not yet begun to color the sky early Monday when Palmer pulls the van to the side of the road…

…It takes two days of nearly solid driving to reach this point. The only stops they make are for gas and the change shifts every four hours. Meals—consisting of sandwiches made of cold cuts and cheese or granola bars and snack foods found in the cupboards—are made by the man in back with Harm, passed to the driver and navigator when requested. Drinks are also passed up upon request, these more frequent being a good source of caffeine to remain awake when in the front seats.

Occasionally, when they stop along a deserted road to change shifts, Hodge and Sturtevant help a very groggy Harm out of the van to answer the call of nature. Palmer always makes sure the handcuffs are once again secure before the trip continues. This proves to be a wise precaution.

The problem starts when Sturtevant is taking a turn at driving. Hodge is in charge of navigating and Palmer is in the back with Harm. About two and a half hours into the shift the left front tire blows. Sturtevant manages to keep the vehicle under control and pull off the road. Even with all three men pitching in, it takes nearly 30 minutes to get the stubborn tire changed. Palmer is wide awake at the end of the tire session and suggests they do their shift change then. Neither of the others objects so the switch is made. In the excitement and aftermath, Hodge is so tired he falls asleep before giving Harm the next dose of sedative.

Hodge is sleeping peacefully when Harm rouses. Thoughts and memories trickle into his consciousness causing confusion until a low question followed by an answer in Palmer's voice brings it all back to him. He looks over and sees Hodge slumped in the peanut chair, a small packet grasped lightly in his right hand. Harm tries sitting up, only noticing the handcuff locked around his right wrist when he is jerked to a stop. He changes tactics and scoots around to look out the window beside him. The curtain is snapped down to keep it in place. Harm quietly undoes enough of the snaps to get a peek outside. It is pitch dark outside, offering no clues. Harm is not aware it has been more than 24 hours since Palmer, Hodge and Sturtevant kidnapped him. He is trying to get an idea of where he is, but nothing looks even remotely familiar. He is on the wrong side of the van to be able to see any road signs, and there is no light to see the ones on the other side of the road when they pass them by.

He must have let out a sigh of frustration because Hodge wakes suddenly. "Shit." Hodge says loudly. Sturtevant peeks through the curtain blocking the view of the road and sees Harm.

"He's awake," he hisses at Palmer.

"Who?" Palmer asks perplexed.

"Rabb. Hodge must've forgotten. I'm going to help him."

"Great," Palmer mutters, pulling off to the side of the road.

Sturtevant unbuckles his belt and lunges through the curtain at Harm just as he throws the cup of drugged water at Hodge. An unexpected pothole causes Sturtevant to lose his balance and fall into Harm. Taking advantage of the situation—and ignoring the elbow Sturtevant lands in his stomach—Harm is checking his pockets before he's even finished falling.

"Company coming," Palmer announces from the front when he sees the lights from the patrol car pull up behind them. "Get him under control."

Harm finds Sturtevant's keys and pushes the man away just as Hodge fishes out a preloaded syringe. It is a race to see who can move faster, and

this time Hodge wins. Much the same as Harm did to him on the sub, Hodge jams the syringe into Harm's back and empties the contents. Harm futily tries to get the handcuffs unlocked, but the sedative takes effect before he can complete the move.

"Everything all right?" the officer asks Palmer.

"Fine sir," Palmer replies. "Just thought we had an emergency. Fortunately it turned out not to be serious."

"Mind if I take a look?" the officer asks. He is a little suspicious, although he's not sure why.

"Not at all, help yourself," Palmer answers, hoping the quiet from the back means Hodge and Sturtevant have gotten Harm sedated again. He is also thankful he had Harm change out of his uniform. The handcuffs they can hide, a rumpled naval officer would be much harder to hide and even harder still to explain.

Hodge has followed the conversation with the officer and opens the sliding door before asked. The officer looks in to see one man sitting in the peanut chair, one sleeping on the floor of the van and a third getting a bottle of water out of a small cooler. Although his gut is still telling him there is something wrong, he can't find anything to back it up. He returns to Palmer's window. "Sorry for the inconvenience," he says. "Just wanted to make sure you folks were all okay."

"Thank you officer," Palmer answers. "We appreciate your concern."

The officer nods in acceptance and walks back to his cruiser. For some reason he can't explain, he records the license number of the van in his notebook.

There are no further incidents on the rest of the drive. Hodge does not forget again to give Harm the drugged water when they stop. He looks at his watch when Palmer pulls off the road, thinking it can't have been 4 hours yet for the current shift. Palmer confirms his thought a moment later.

"Hodge, will you come up here and take the wheel? I need Sturtevant to help me move the roadblocks."

Hodge moves into the driver's seat. He is a bit perplexed as he doesn't see anything that looks like a roadblock, just a bunch of underbrush mixed in with the trees. He realizes a minute later it is not all underbrush as Palmer directs Sturtevant to take hold of one end of a 'bush' and move it aside. Palmer does the same with a 'bush' on his side and a dirt path large enough for the van is revealed. Palmer waves Hodge forward, waiting for the van to clear the roadblock before he and Sturtevant replace the 'bushes'.

Palmer reclaims his place behind the wheel. Before he puts the van in gear again, Hodge speaks up. "It's nearly time for another dose," he announces. "You'd said you would like him to be more alert when we arrived…"

"Yeah, you can skip this one. Just get him ready to move before he becomes too alert. We don't need a repeat of yesterday even without the prying eyes of a cop."

xxx

JAG HQ

1258 Zulu

Monday, June 3, 2002

Clayton Webb, looking very annoyed, stalks through the bullpen to Admiral Chegwidden's office. He doesn't stop to wait for Tiner to let AJ know he's there. He walks in on AJ in the middle of a telephone call.

"I'll call you back," AJ says into the handset upon seeing the irate CIA agent. "No manners this morning Mr. Webb?" he growls, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"Where's Rabb?" Webb asks without preamble.

Somewhat taken aback—Webb had promised to have a team meet Harm if the problem hadn't been resolved over the weekend—AJ checks the time. "Should be on his way in. He's usually a little bit late, especially on Mondays," he replies.

"I hope so," Webb mutters.

"Webb, is there something you're not telling me?" AJ asks, beginning to get alarmed.

Webb briefly considers not answering, but changes his mind on seeing AJ's face. He'd really like to avoid another broken nose. "I thought Rabb

was flying to Miramar this weekend," he begins.

"That's correct. You were here when he left on Friday." AJ is now confused; Webb was aware of the plans and had okayed them.

"He didn't come back last night," Webb explains. "My team waited two hours before they decided to check with the flight line. They were told Rabb wasn't on the roster to fly in." His face shows he is getting angrier with every word. "They didn't find it necessary to report this to me until this morning," he thunders.

AJ is stunned. "As far as I know, he flew out Friday as planned. I didn't get any messages to the contrary," he says.

"Well he sure as hell didn't come back as planned!"

"We'll check on it Webb," AJ says calmly. "What else is bothering you?"

"Arams committed suicide over the weekend."

"So now there's no case?"

"Against Arams, no."

"I assume since your agents were at Andrews to meet Rabb that you haven't identified your mole yet." AJ comments.

"Actually, I've identified him. I just wasn't able to catch him."

"Who is he?" AJ asks.

"One of the former directors of the DSD. A man by the name of Donald Banes. He had a pretty good cover set to be able to get into the Company," Webb replies.

"Okay. With Arams dead, where does that leave us?" AJ asks.

"First, we still don't know who his buyer was. I'm still hoping Rabb will find something to indicate that. Second, Banes knows that Harm has cracked at least part of the code Arams was using. What we don't know is how important this information is to the DSD. Third, although I can't prove it, I am sure there were other deliveries before this one."

"Without knowledge of the code used, I'm not sure how useful the information would be to anyone," AJ muses. "What Rabb has done so far seems to indicate you are correct in thinking there were previous deliveries."

"So this in itself might not be all that useful to the DSD," Webb reasons.

"Not unless the DSD managed to get some of the other information Arams has sent." AJ pauses before continuing, getting his thoughts in order. "Is there any possibility that these former DSD agents might be the intended buyers?"

Webb takes a moment to consider the question. "I'll check into it on my end," he says finally. "That could explain why there wasn't any indication until Arams was arrested. Without foreign buyers it would be a lot easier to keep low profile. And if they are after this information, Rabb could be in even more trouble than we originally thought. Damn, we never even considered a domestic buyer." Webb glances at his watch. "Speaking of which, where is Rabb?"

"Tiner, check to see if Commander Rabb has arrived yet," AJ asks over the intercom.

A moment later, "No sir. Commander Rabb has not arrived yet."

"See if you can reach him on his cell or at home."

"Aye sir." The next few minutes pass in silence. Both men are tensely waiting for Tiner to report back. "Sir there is no answer either at his home or on his cell," Tiner says finally.

AJ and Webb exchange worried glances. "We're going to have to get some help on this," AJ says. "It's not like Rabb to be this late and not call."

"Don't forget he didn't land at Andrews last night," Webb adds. "Who did you have in mind?"

"Tiner will you tell Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Turner I would like to see them ASAP?" AJ orders his yeoman by way of answer. "Turner is a friend of Rabb's. I know you haven't met him yet, but I believe he can be trusted."

Less than 2 minutes later Mac and Sturgis knock on AJ's door. "Enter," he calls.

Turner holds the door for Mac, much like Harm would. "You wanted to see us sir?" Mac says as they reach AJ's desk.

"Colonel, I know you are familiar with Mr. Webb."

Mac nods and turns to Webb. "Webb, nice to see you again."

"Colonel MacKenzie," Webb greets her.

"Commander Turner, this is Clayton Webb, CIA. Webb, Commander Turner."

Webb doesn't get a chance to study the new officer. "Sturgis. I've heard a few things about you Webb," Sturgis says offering his hand.

"From Rabb?" he asks returning the handshake.

"And Colonel MacKenzie," Sturgis affirms. "Like how Harm owes you well into the next century," he says with a laugh.

"Things are more even than you might think, Commander," Webb mutters under his breath.

"What kind of trouble do you need us to bail you out of this time Webb?" Mac asks.

"Before we get into that, have either of you seen or heard from Rabb this weekend?" AJ breaks in.

"No sir," they both answer. "He said he was going to visit his mother this weekend, with your blessing," Mac adds, growing concerned that they are even asking.

"Admiral," Tiner's voice comes over the intercom, forestalling any comment AJ was about to make. "Sir, there's a call for you on line one. It's  
Mrs. Burnett."

Sighs of relief are nearly audible in the office. Everyone is sure Harm's mother is calling to let them know he'd been delayed. AJ picks up the phone. "Admiral Chegwidden," he says.

"Admiral," Trish begins hesitantly. "I hate to bother you, but have you seen my son?" AJ's face blanches and the three others exchange a worried glance. "I'm sorry Admiral," Trish continues oblivious to the turmoil her statement will cause. "I'm sure there is an innocent explanation to this, but it's just not like Harm to forget to call when his plans change."

AJ finally finds his voice. "When did you last hear from him, Mrs. Burnett?"

"Thursday evening when he called to let us know when he'd be arriving."

"Ma'am," AJ says reluctantly. "Harm left here at 1700 Friday. He had specific orders from me to spend the weekend in La Jolla with you."

There is a stunned silence on the other end of the line.

"Admiral…AJ," she amends remembering the conversation they had when her son was lost at sea. "I'm sure you will do everything you can to find out why Harm didn't come home. If I thought it would help, Frank and I would be on the next plane to DC…"

Before she can complete the sentence AJ breaks in, "Trish I will let you know as soon as I have any information." He is also thinking of the conversation they had the past May. "You may contact me, Colonel MacKenzie or Commander Turner whenever you would like for an update if you don't hear from us, okay?"

"Thank you AJ," she says tearfully.

"I will let you know if you and Frank are needed here," AJ consoles. He hangs up the phone after saying goodbye and turns to his two officers and the CIA agent who have remained silent waiting on the other side of his desk.

Webb is the first to speak. "I gather from your conversation with Mrs. Burnett that Rabb has been missing all weekend."

Before he can respond Tiner's voice announces the captain of the Seahawk is on the phone for him. At the same time Webb's cell phone rings. Webb moves to the corner of the room to give himself and AJ as much quiet as possible. Mac and Sturgis share a bemused glance as they wait for the men to finish their respective calls.

AJ's expression, already pale from his previous conversation, blanches even further. His conversation is relatively quick, ending with, "thank you Captain. Please keep me informed." He hangs up the phone and stares at it sightlessly, lost to the presence of the others in the room. He remains motionless for a full minute. About the time Sturgis or Mac is ready to ask if there is something wrong he snaps out of it. Looking at the two senior officers he says quietly, "that was the skipper of the Seahawk. Lt. Roberts was in country and stepped on a land mine. He's in surgery to save what they can of his leg and his life as we speak." He allows them a moment to process the information. "Why don't the two of you see if there's anything you can find in Rabb's office? Take Webb with you. I need to tell Lt. Sims. Would you tell her I need to see her Colonel?"

"Yes sir," Mac says. Sturgis leads the way out of the office. Mac detours to the corner where Webb is still on his cell phone, pausing only long enough to take hold of his sleeve and tug him along. He gives her a puzzled look which Mac returns with a minute shake of her head.

Webb follows Sturgis to Harm's office. Mac heads for Harriet's desk. "Harriet, the Admiral asked me to tell you he'd like to see you," Mac says to the younger woman.

Harriet looks up from her computer, "thank you ma'am," she says immediately leaving her desk to report. Mac follows her path with sad eyes, sighs and turns to join Sturgis and Webb in Harm's office.

xxx

In his office, AJ is standing at the window staring outside. He doesn't know how he's going to break the news to Harriet that because he thought duty away from JAG would help Bud's chances of promotion, a very capable and well-liked officer is fighting for his life in Afghanistan. Although he still feels it is beneficial to Bud's career, he feels guilty as hell that the man is now injured.

"Lt. Sims reporting as ordered sir," Harriet's soft voice breaks into his thoughts.

"Please close the door and have a seat Lieutenant," AJ says without turning around.

Harriet complies, shutting the door softly and sitting nervously on the edge of the chair recently vacated by Mac. Upon hearing her sit AJ turns from the window and faces her, his eyes full of badly concealed pain and guilt—this is one of the hardest things he has ever had to do as Judge Advocate.

"Harriet," he begins, finally deciding the best way is to come right out and say it all. "I just received a call from the captain of the Seahawk. Lt. Roberts, Bud, was in Afghanistan for the ground-breaking of a new school to replace one destroyed in the air strikes. He saw a boy playing outside of the village. He had been briefed that the only area cleared of land mines was the road. Bud was trying to keep the boy from stepping on a land mine, as he wasn't on the road but along side it…" he pauses, unsure how he's going to be able to continue.

"Did Bud step on a land mine sir?" Harriet asks quietly.

"Yes," he says simply.

"Is he alive?"

"He lost part of his right leg. When I talked to the skipper the last report he had was Bud is holding his own. He's being transported to the Guadalcanal as we speak. When they have him stabilized, he'll be transferred to Germany. I can arrange transport for you if you would like to be with him."

"I would like to be with him sir, but I think I should be with AJ here. If I change my mind later…" she starts timidly.

"Just say the word and I'll arrange transport for you."

"Thank you sir," Harriet says sincerely.

"You're dismissed…unless there's something else," AJ says noticing her hesitation.

"Sir, I don't want to seem out of line, but I saw Mr. Webb here with Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Turner and they went into Commander Rabb's office… Is there anything I can do to help?"

AJ isn't sure what to say to her for the second time in the day. She just found out her husband has stepped on a land mine and is fighting for his life, and she's concerned about another officer as well. He doesn't want to overwhelm her, but since she asked… "Right now we're not sure what's going on. Why don't you join us in Rabb's office? I'll take any help I can get at this point," he says.

xxx

Meanwhile in Harm's office…

Webb has finished his call by the time Mac makes her way into the office. Sturgis is rifling through the files on Harm's desk. "Bad news Webb?" Mac asks noting the scowl on his face.

"Yes," he says. "I'd rather wait for AJ to join us so I don't have to go over it twice though. What made him clear us all out of his office so fast?"

"Lt. Roberts stepped on a land mine in Afghanistan," Sturgis informs him.

"I don't think he was as lucky as Harm was when he did the same after we inadvertently entered a mine field," Mac puts in to the astonishment of the men in the room. The mine incident wasn't anything they shared with anyone but the admiral.

The atmosphere in the room is charged with tension. He never really liked Bud, but Webb feels he should say something.

"Find anything Sturgis?" Mac asks, breaking the mood and saving Webb from his dilemma.

"Just a couple of current cases," Sturgis answers. "He didn't have much other than the Arams file on his plate, so there's not much here."

"Anything personal going on?" Webb asks even though he's pretty sure he knows the answer to that one.

This time it's Mac who answers. "Nothing that I know of. He seemed very happy to have the chance to fly to California and visit his mom, even though it was with your blessing Webb," she teases. "He said you told him you were trying not to get him involved…"

Webb realizes then that Harm and AJ hadn't filled Mac or Sturgis in. He's glad they didn't expand the number of people involved, but at the same time it means he's going to have to explain this all to them. He grabs Harm's chair to sit in and motions for the others to make themselves comfortable as well. "Friday morning I found evidence of a mole in my section." He changes his mind about sitting, instead using the back of Harm's chair to lean on. "I wanted time to ferret him out. He was after the information we had on Arams. Now when Rabb was given the task of deciphering Arams' code—or codes as it turns out—all pertinent information was turned over to him as well. I thought if we could get him out of town I'd have plenty of time to find whoever it is that was trying to find that information." While he waits for a reaction he continues to himself, 'and now I'm doubly sure getting Rabb out of town was a wise move; I'm just afraid it came up too late to mean anything.'

"Did you find your mole?" Sturgis asks finally.

"I know who it is, but he disappeared before I could catch him."

"Would you have used Harm as bait to draw him out if you hadn't found him over the weekend?" Mac asks.

Webb contemplates the question for a moment. "Properly protected, yes I would have," he admits.

"Webb, even carefully planned, things you drag Harm and I into hardly ever go as planned."

Webb sighs heavily, crossing around in front of Harm's chair. "It's not intentional," he protests finally sitting down. "Ouch," he yelps

immediately and jumps up rubbing his rear. Mac and Sturgis stifle a laugh, AJ and Harriet, arrive at that moment and attempt to do the same. "It's not funny," Webb whines glaring at the four officers. "Something poked me in the ass when I sat down." He runs his hands over the seam of the seat, finally locating the pen and message wrapped around it.

"What is it Webb?" AJ demands.

Webb glances at the phone message. Before handing it to AJ he flips it over, the two words written there confirming his suspicions from his phone call. As he hands the note to AJ he begins to explain the phone call. "The call I had was from an agent stationed in Kansas. It seems two weeks ago there was a brawl at Leavenworth. About a dozen inmates were placed into solitary. When the 10 days were over the inmates were released to return to their regular cells. But sometime between the brawl and the end of the 10 days 3 of the inmates escaped. There were three other men in their places." He pauses at Mac's indrawn breath, and continues when he realizes she isn't going to say anything. "The inmates that escaped—obviously with inside help—are known to you and the Colonel, Admiral. As you can see by the names written on the back of that phone message, Clark Palmer has once again managed to slip away from Leavenworth. This time he took with him two former naval personnel; Chief Corpsman Hodge and Chief Master-at-arms Sturtevant.

A stricken look crosses Mac's face, but once again she remains silent. "I know who Palmer and Sturtevant are," AJ says, "but I can't seem to recall Hodge."

"The Watertown sir," Mac says quietly.

That one word is all it takes for understanding dawn on AJ. Sturgis looks from his CO to friend to Harriet. She gives him a barely perceptible nod indicating she knows what's going on, and then tilts her head toward Mac indicating he should ask her for an explanation. Sturgis returns a faint smile of acknowledgement.

AJ observes the exchange between Sturgis and Harriet and silently agrees Mac should be the one to fill Sturgis in on the three escapees. "I'm going to check on this end of things," he says indicating the message about Harm missing his flight. "Lt. Sims, would you find the duty personnel from Friday evening. Both the gate guard and the officer at the front. Then I'd like you to track down the records of the escapees."

"Aye sir," Harriet says happy to do her part.

"Colonel, Commander, I'd like the two of you to go to Commander Rabb's apartment and see if you can find anything there. Check with his neighbors to see if they saw anything. I don't know how you'll get in. I'm not sure Rabb would appreciate replacing his windows again," AJ says thoughtfully.

"That won't be a problem sir," Mac says quietly. "I have a key. We look after each other's apartments when one of us is out of town," she explains quickly when she notes the look that passes between the others.

AJ is not sure what to think of that revelation. His two senior officers have had a very unexplainable relationship over the past six years. 'As long as it doesn't affect their performance at work I could even deal with it if they were sleeping together,' he has told himself several times. This one is no exception. "One more thing Colonel," AJ says. "Commander Turner is the only one in this room who doesn't know anything about the three escapees. I know he could learn the basics from their files, but I would like you to fill him in since you are most familiar with the situations."

Mac knows AJ is right, although she would like to protest and ask that he have someone else do it. 'Suck it up Marine,' she tells herself. "Yes sir," she says aloud, hiding her inner turmoil.

"Webb," AJ says turning to the last person of the group. "I don't have to remind you to inform me as soon as you know something, do I?" he practically growls at the CIA agent.

"As soon as I know something, you'll know," Webb responds, not wanting to risk AJ's wrath and have a repeat of Russia.

"I don't need to remind any of you that this is not to go beyond the five of us," AJ says looking each one in the eyes. "You may talk freely amongst yourselves, but please make sure to do so out of the hearing of anyone else. My office will be open at all times. Colonel, Commander, Lieutenant, I'll have to ask that you maintain your regular duties in addition to whatever we turn up here. If for some reason this drags out, I will attempt to lighten your loads if I possibly can. Any questions?"

A round of 'no sir's' is heard from each of the others in the office including Webb. "All right then, dismissed," AJ says effectively terminating the meeting.

Harriet heads directly to her desk, Webb makes a beeline for the exit, AJ makes his way to the break room for a cup of coffee while Mac and Sturgis split up to grab their covers from their respective offices before meeting at the elevator.

"Colonel," Harriet calls to Mac as soon as the Marine exits her office.

"Yes Harriet," Mac inquires.

"Thought you might need these," Harriet says handing her a set of keys. "It's a trick I learned from Gunny, ma'am," she says smiling.

"Thank you Lieutenant," Mac says. "I'm glad you're in on this Harriet. But I also want you to know if you need anything…"

"Thank you Colonel. Helping out and keeping busy here is what I want to do now. I'll take you up on that offer if I feel I need it."

"Anytime Harriet, anytime," Mac then hurries to meet Sturgis at the elevator.

xxx

Mac and Sturgis ride to the ground floor in silence. Sturgis starts for their personal cars but stops, suddenly realizing Mac is no longer with him. He turns to see her waiting to head into the lot containing the pool cars, a set of keys dangling from one finger.

"Where'd you get these so fast?" Sturgis inquires as he slides into the passenger seat of the dark sedan.

"Harriet," Mac answers with a small smile. "She and Gunny apparently traded secrets."

They ride in silence for a few minutes before Sturgis breaks the silence. "So who do you want to tell me about first?"

Reluctantly Mac suggests they begin with the navy guys first. "Which one would you like me to start with?" she asks.

"How about the one that wasn't on the list Harm left. Who was it…?"

"Chief Master-at-arms Sturtevant formerly of the Suribachi," Mac supplies. "You didn't hear what happened to her a couple of years ago did you?"

"I heard she got caught on an uncharted reef and had to have a tow off."

"Did you hear anything about what happened on board at the same time?"

"Nothing."

"Harm and I were on board when she ran aground. Harm was in the Master-at-arms shack with Sturtevant and a petty officer Sturtevant had framed for a murder he committed. When the Suribachi ran aground they were locked in down there. The captain immediately ordered rescue operations started, but they kept running into problems. When they were finally towed, Harm was still trapped. Unbeknownst to anyone, when they tried to bully the Suribachi off the reef she started taking on water. What was worse was the compartment it was flooding—the brig."

"With Harm and the others down there?"

"Yes. We had lost communication with him shortly after the first attempt to rock the Suribachi off—before the skipper called for the tow. Harm was trying to deal with DeMara, the petty officer, but it turns out he was crashing from Black Beauty. Once the water got a couple of inches deep, Harm suggested Sturtevant let DeMara out of the cell since that's where the water was coming in. Sturtevant tripped and DeMara ended up with his gun. With the water rising and DeMara holding the gun, Harm started speculating on what might have happened. DeMara said he still had the note that prompted him to go to where the other petty officer was killed. Since DeMara had threatened to strangle him, and the petty officer was strangled, everyone assumed he did it. Harm offered to check the note for fingerprints and run them. Harm says about that time was when the Suribachi was towed. It knocked over a storage locker and pinned DeMara and opened the hole in the hull. Water was now gushing into the brig and DeMara was pinned. Harm and Sturtevant tried to get the locker off, but it was too heavy."

"Wait, where was the rescue team? And how long was this?"

"A couple of hours and the rescue team was still working on trying to get them out. They did finally get in, saw the water and called down instead of trying to go into the water. They were also dealing with chlorine gas coming from a compartment next to them. Sturtevant heard the rescuers and told Harm he'd go get help. Instead he got himself out, told them Harm and DeMara were dead and it was too risky to get the bodies. He left them down there to die."

"Sounds pretty callous. Did you know at that time that he had killed the petty officer?"

"When he didn't come back for them Harm had a pretty good idea. He kept trying to get DeMara free even though he had checked the hatch and found it stuck once again. The Admiral had arrived with the tow ship and was bugging the skipper about getting Harm rescued—this was before they got Sturtevant out. Once we found out Harm was dead—at least according to Sturtevant—we questioned him. From what he said we were both suspicious. The skipper had forbidden anyone from going back for the bodies, but Admiral Chegwidden simply disregarded those orders and went back down, taking the crew member from the rescue party who wanted to retrieve the bodies earlier. They were having problems with the hatch and Harm was still unable to get the locker off DeMara. A course change to avoid a civilian ship shifted enough to enable the hatch to be freed and moved the locker off DeMara. He and Harm made their way to the ladder and a moment later it opened to reveal Admiral Chegwidden. Harm said the look on Sturtevant's face when he walked into his quarters dripping wet and asked for a towel was priceless."

"If the Admiral hadn't pulled rank, Harm and DeMara would have died and Sturtevant would have gotten away with three murders. How did you know Harm was still alive?" Sturgis asks.

"Like I said what Sturtevant said about how he died just didn't sound right. The skipper asked the same question," Mac says, laughing. "Admiral Chegwidden asked him if he had ever tried to get gum off his shoe. I think Harm was a bit offended by that analogy," she says laughing harder. Sturgis laughs picturing his friend responding to a comment like that.

By this time they have arrived at Harm's apartment. Harm's SUV is parked in its usual spot. "I'd also like to double check that the 'vette is in the garage before heading back to HQ," Sturgis says.

"Good idea," Mac agrees readily. "Do you want to start with the apartment or neighbors first?"

"Apartment first, then neighbors," Sturgis suggests.

Mac leads the way up and cautiously unlocks the door. "You'll understand when I tell you about Palmer, but for now be careful. He's left explosives tied to a motion detector before. "

"And you're planning on going in there?" Sturgis says incredously.

"Yeah. The circumstances were a lot different then," she says, finally stepping slowly through the doorway. A quick glance tells her Harm is not home—unless he's in the bedroom or bathroom—and that Palmer has not left any obvious surprises. She convinces Sturgis to enter and they commence their search.

"He must have gotten home at least," Mac observes. "His briefcase is here." And after a moment, "So is his cell phone."

They start in the living room, gradually working their way through the kitchen/dining area to the bedroom.

"His bag's still here," Sturgis says. "What would that suggest to you?"

"That they were waiting for him when he came home—or arrived before he was ready to leave for Andrews."

"It doesn't really sound like Harm to have packed ahead of time, but he also had very little time to spare to get to Andrews."

"To fly a Tomcat and spend the weekend with his mother, especially since this was a planned trip, I think he was packed already," Mac disagrees.

"You're probably right," he concedes. "So other than the briefcase and bag being here we didn't really find anything."

"Let's visit his neighbors and see if they saw anything before we begin making assumptions," Mac suggests.

It is only their uniforms that allow Mac and Sturgis to interview Harm's neighbors—they're all leery about talking to strangers. Unfortunately they don't turn up any useful information—none of the neighbors were home Friday evening. Mac and Sturgis thank them for their help and prepare to leave. As the do so, a woman who lives on the first floor enters the building.

"You looking for that handsome sailor from the third floor?" she asks.

"Yes we are; have you seen him?" Mac inquires.

"Not since Friday. He looked a bit out of it since he… Well I guess you could say the three men with him loaded him into an SUV and drove off. He was still in his uniform although he looked like he had slept in it. I've never seen him look so bad," she confides.

"Can you remember what time this was?" Sturgis asks.

"I was just getting ready for bed. It must've been around 11, 11:30," she answers.

"Did you see any of them arrive?"

"No. It was 9 or so when I got back from bingo. The driver was with the SUV then, I think. I remember watching to see if he was going to try anything when I went from my car to the building."

Sturgis and Mac exchange a look meant to ask if the other needs any more information. A slight shake of their heads meets their respective glances.

"Thank you for your time and the information, ma'am," Sturgis says.

"He's not going to get into any trouble because of what I told you, is he?" she asks concerned.

"Not at all," Mac answers. A sudden thought strikes her. "If you see him or the men he was with on Friday would you give me a call?" she asks handing the woman a business card with the number for JAG. "We'd really appreciate it."

The woman accepts the card and tucks it into her purse. "I'll do that," she says before heading to her apartment.

xxx

Once back in his office after gathering his coffee, AJ places the call to Andrews. He receives confirmation that Harm never arrived for his flight. Not wanting to raise any suspicions this early, he apologizes for not notifying them that Harm wouldn't be able to make his flight. The CO offers his understanding that things get out of control sometimes—especially for someone with Harm's record.

Shortly after hanging up the phone Tiner announces Lt. Sims would like to see him. "Send her in Tiner," AJ instructs.

Harriet enters followed by two young marines. She hands a sheaf of papers to AJ before coming to attention in front of his desk.

"At ease. These would be the two on duty Friday?" AJ asks Harriet.

"Yes sir. Corporals Carter and Torrey," she says indicating each in turn. "Corporal Torrey was on duty in the guard shack, Corporal Carter in the building."

"Thank you lieutenant. Have a seat. You too Corporals."

"Sir," Harriet says, "the papers I gave you are copies of both logbooks from the weekend."

"Corporal Carter, Corporal Torrey, what I am about to discuss with you will not leave these walls. Is that understood?"

"Both men jump to their feet and come to attention. "Yes sir," they reply as one.

"Good. Now sit down." He waits until both have resumed their seats. "Now I'm going to start by asking a few questions. I want honest answers no matter what you think the consequences of those answers might be."

"Yes sir," the chorus again.

"Corporal Torrey, did you see Commander Rabb over the weekend, after hours?"

"Yes sir. He returned at 0013 on Fri…Saturday," he answers.

"Describe for me what you saw."

"He looked real tense sir. There were three other men in the vehicle with him. His uniform was kind or rumpled and he looked a bit pale and out of it too."

"The three men with him; were any of them in uniform?"

"No sir."

"What time did they leave?"

"A little under an hour later. 0106."

"Who was driving?"

"Commander Rabb sir."

"Did you see him enter the building?"

"One of the civilians went with him inside. Before they got out of the vehicle, the man took hold of the commander's arm and they spoke for a minute. Commander Rabb appeared upset when he got out of the vehicle; and maybe a little unsteady on his feet."

"All right. Corporal Carter, did you see Commander Rabb Friday evening?"

"Yes sir."

"Was there anyone with him?"

"One man in civilian clothes sir."

"What did they do?"

"Commander Rabb approached and signed in. He asked for a visitor's pass for the man with him. Said he was helping him with a case and just came along for the ride to find some papers he needed for the case. I gave him the pass sir," he puts in hesitantly.

"Where did they go?"

"Directly to Commander Rabb's office. Sir, I also gave the commander a message from Andrews. Something about missing a flight."

AJ nods to indicate he heard the comment. "Did anything unusual happen while they were here?"

"I wasn't watching real closely at first, but it seemed the civilian pushed the commander into his office. I also saw him, not the commander, closing the blinds."

"Did you hear anything?"

"No sir. A little less than an hour later the exited the office. It seemed to me as they turned in the visitor's pass that Commander Rabb seemed…well almost smug about something. And the man with him clearly was unhappy."

"I want to thank you both for your candor," AJ says after a moment to digest the information. Neither man would ever dream of lying to an officer, and especially not to the JAG. Harriet has taken notes throughout the interviews so he can be sure to check the details. "I have just one more thing to ask of you. I'm going to show each of you several photos. I want you to pick out the men you saw," he says handing each man an identical stack of pictures. Mixed in with pictures of Palmer, Hodge and Sturtevant are recent defendants and regular JAG staff.

Both men flip through the photos. Corporal Carter stops, pulls one out of the pile and continues to look through the rest before handing the one to AJ. "This is the man who came in with Commander Rabb sir," he says. He has handed AJ the picture of Palmer.

Just then Corporal Torrey hands AJ three pictures, the one of Palmer at the top. "The top one is the man who was in the front seat beside Commander Rabb. I'm sure he's the one who went inside with him. The others were seated in the back. They remained in the vehicle the entire time." Hodge and Sturtevant are the other two photos he's handed to AJ.

"Thank you again Corporals," AJ says. "Remember none of this is to leave this room. If you think of anything you might have left out you may come to me, Colonel MacKenzie, Commander Turner or Lieutenant Sims only."

"Aye sir," both men say coming to attention.

"Sir, is something going on with Commander Rabb?" Corporal Carter asks nervously. "I'd like to help in any way I can. Commander Rabb has always been nice to the enlisted personnel."

"Me too, sir," Corporal Torrey chimes in.

"Because you're already involved simply by being here Friday evening I will tell you this: We're not sure what's going on, but the 3 men the two of you identified escaped from Leavenworth sometime in the past two weeks. The only other thing they have in common is Commander Rabb's testimony put them there."

"His testimony, sir? He's a lawyer," Torrey protests.

"He was the key witness in each of their cases. Furthermore, they are all serving for attempted murder."

"The commander?" Carter asks, quickly putting two and two together.

"That is correct. Now remember what I said," AJ admonishes them. "Dismissed." He leaves them to their thoughts. They both snap to attention one last time before leaving the room, 'although with less grace than Harm usually manages without half trying,' AJ muses.


	3. Chapter 3

Revenge

Chapter 3

True to Hodge's prediction Harm begins to stir just before they reach the gates. A tall wrought iron fence surrounds the immediate property of what is clearly an old lodge. Trees have grown up throughout the small valley it is located in, obscuring any view of the lodge from those who do not know it exists. Palmer maneuvers the SUV through the maze of trees leading up to the front door. The lodge is still solidly built—at least since the rebuild after the fire that destroyed the original building over a hundred years ago. It appears to be a giant pyramid built in layers; the first floor roof serving as a balcony for the second floor, the second floor roof serving as a balcony for the third floor.

"What a magnificent structure," Hodge gasps in awe. "Who owns it?"

"The lodge is property of the Bradenhurst Corporation, although they are unaware of its existence," Palmer explains. "Bought, paid for and hidden, no one knew about it until Rabb managed to disassemble the DSD. It's one of the perks they supplied us with without knowing."

With that, Palmer brings the SUV to a stop in front of the lodge. An older man approaches the vehicle. "Palmer, Banes wants to see you and your 'guests' immediately," he says without greeting or preamble.

"Kind of figured that would be the case," Palmer replies unconcerned. "Did Nabey make it back with Arams yet?"

"Arams is dead," the man states over his shoulder as he walks away.

Palmer sits in stunned silence for a moment, then realizes he now has the one thing Banes wants most of all—first-hand information of Arams' code. He smiles when he realizes that although Banes will most likely be unhappy he brought Harm here, he will have to concede it turned out for the best. He peeks through the curtain at the object of his thoughts. Harm is sitting up against the side of the van accepting a sip of water from Hodge. "Is he ready to walk?" he asks Hodge.

The question startles Hodge momentarily. He jerks, pouring the entire cup of water in Harm's mouth. "Uh yeah," he answers dodging the water spewing out of Harm's mouth as he attempts to catch his breath. Palmer, Hodge and Sturtevant break out in laughter at the sight of the naval officer now covered with water.

"Let's go," Palmer announces, not even attempting to keep the laughter out of his voice. "This ought to make a great entrance."

Palmer leads the way, leaving Hodge and Sturtevant to walk on either side of the unsteady commander. He leads them to the lodge dining room which also doubles as a meeting place. Long wooden tables with matching benches are lined up throughout the room. At times they are full—Harm estimates 50-60 could sit comfortably—now they are empty. At the far end of the room is a table set on a platform, almost a foot above the others. It is toward this table that Palmer leads the others.

Five men sit at the table conversing. When Palmer enters the room the man in the center looks up and favors him with a disapproving stare. Because he's sitting down, Harm cannot tell how tall he is, but he would estimate just a few inches taller than Nabey, who is also present. The man is a few years older than Harm with an almost boyish face. Dark hair without a hint of gray tops his head and piercing gray eyes gaze at the four men. The others are of various ages. What surprises Harm is the young man who he doesn't think is any older than early-20's. He is standing looking over Nabey's shoulder at whatever is on the table. His blonde hair hangs into his eyes a bit; but it is his green eyes that catch Harm's attention. When the young man looks at him, Harm sees a moment of helplessness before the young man turns to answer a question from the man in the middle.

A few tables from the men, Palmer asks Hodge and Sturtevant to wait with Harm while he goes forward to talk with the men. He continues to the table alone, greeting the five when he's close enough to do so. Harm's thoughts are confirmed when the man he's pegged as the boss begins questioning Palmer, although their words are not loud enough for him to hear.

"Who are they?" Banes demands.

"Hodge is the baby-faced one, Sturtevant is the other blonde," Palmer says. "They were with me in Leavenworth, and since we share some of the same goals I thought they could be helpful here." He turns to Nabey. "Didn't you fill him in?" he asks.

"Nope," Nabey replies with a smile. "I wasn't going to get in the middle of that one with a 10 foot pole."

"Okay, so what about the other one?" Banes asks.

"You're going to love him," Palmer smirks.

"Palmer, I'm not in the mood right now. In case you haven't heard Arams committed suicide and I have no idea how we're going to get those papers decoded." He looks up at Palmer who just has a satisfied smile on his face. "Nabey told me you didn't get the papers. You know we need those."

"I've got something much better than that," Palmer replies. "The man in the middle is Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr." He waits for a reaction and is not disappointed.

"The guy who single-handedly destroyed the DSD?" Banes asks incredously.

"One and the same," Palmer retorts. "And, if you recall, the one who was supposed to have those papers. Since I couldn't find the papers I thought I'd bring Rabb along. You can help us get the information we want from Mr. Boy Scout over there."

"Who?" 

"Rabb. He's going to take a lot of persuasion."

"You said help 'us'. Do you mean you and your two friends?"

"Yeah. You need to meet them. Let them tell you about their run-ins with Commander Rabb. I think you'll like them."

"Well then, send them up. I think I'd like to talk to Rabb before we find a nice secure place for him to stay," he says viciously. "Nabey," he says.

"All taken care of boss," Nabey replies. At the look he gets from Banes and Palmer he shrugs. "I knew he was coming and didn't want it to wait until he was here. That nice storage locker at the end of the hallway has been cleared out."

Palmer has to think a minute. "The little one with the hidden doorway?" he asks.

"The same. But I made a few modifications," he says smugly.

"Nabey, why don't you go and check to make sure everything is ready for our special guest, Palmer let me meet these two and then I'll have Ryan show them around a bit. You can show them where Rabb is 'staying' later."

Palmer returns to where Hodge and Sturtevant are waiting with Harm. "Banes wants to meet the two of you," he says to his cohorts. "Tell him everything, and then Ryan will give you a tour and help you find rooms. I'll catch up with you later." Hodge and Sturtevant share a look of apprehension, but approach the table nonetheless.

Banes greets the two men, introduces himself and the rest at the table then asks about their run-ins with Rabb. Hodge goes first, once again leaving out the part about Harm being drugged at the time of the fight. Sturtevant then explains about his situation. "How'd you hook up with Palmer?" the man named Darby asks.

"He sought us out," Hodge says. "Somehow the details of our sentences must have been told to him."

"Actually, I think it was after the commander almost fell into his trap. He had contact with the outside then," Sturtevant puts in.

"That's true," Hodge agrees. "They were watching him like a hawk…at least until we got into that fight."

"I take it he's told you about his run-ins with Rabb," it was more of a statement of a question.

"Yeah, kind of to compare stories."

"When he first approached me about coming here with him I was skeptical," Hodge reveals. "The brawl was brilliant. Gone for a week and they're probably just now missing us."

"One of Palmer's better ideas," the fourth man comments.

"How far do you want this to go with Rabb?" Banes asks. He holds up a hand to forestall any comments until he's finished explaining what he means. "I know Clark Palmer; he's going to want the man to suffer as long as he can. He also won't hesitate to kill him if the situation warrants. Now I know you've both attempted to engineer his death—whether directly or indirectly—and I want to know if you can make Rabb wish for death without killing him…and kill him if it becomes necessary."

Both men actually take the time to seriously think about Banes' questions. Before either has fully thought things through Banes adds," I will back whatever it is that Palmer wishes to do with him. I have my own reasons for disliking the man and will happily see him suffer. If either of you would prefer not to be part of it I would ask that you not interfere. If you feel you cannot be around and not attempt to stop it, I will give you this one chance to leave, with the provision you do not tell anyone about this place."

Almost as soon as he's finished Sturtevant speaks up. "I'm in. All the way." Banes meets his gaze and nods.

Both men then turn to Hodge. The younger man is clearly in conflict. The oath he took when he became a corpsman wars with his desire for revenge. The fight plays itself out on his face. After a couple of minutes his face hardens as does his resolve. "I'm in," he says.

A wide grin encompasses Banes' face. "Ryan will show you around a little and find you rooms. Come on back down in an hour for breakfast."

"What about Rabb?" Hodge asks.

"Don't worry; Palmer and I will take good care of him. We'll show you where after breakfast," Banes replies with a satisfied grin on his face.

Hodge and Sturtevant leave with Ryan for a tour and explanation of the rules of the place. At the end of the tour—after the two men have selected adjoining rooms on the third floor—they all head back down for breakfast. When they arrive, Palmer and Banes are there but there is no sign of Harm.

xxx

While Hodge and Sturtevant are on their tour, Banes asks the other men to take care of some small errands he makes up on the spot. He wants to do this alone. Palmer waits until everyone has left before propelling Harm forward via a hard shove to his back. Still woozy from the sedative Harm stumbles, but manages to keep his feet. Banes meets them on the floor in front of the tables. Without warning Banes plants a fist in Harm's stomach causing him to double over. Another swing connects with Harm's jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor. Palmer had wisely stepped aside so he does not block the descent to the floor. Harm lands hard, what little breath he has left from the sucker punch to his stomach leaving his lungs with a whoosh. He lies there, dazed and gasping for breath—a small trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth—while Palmer and Banes share a laugh at his expense. Finally, Palmer grabs an arm and drags him to his feet.

"I always wondered how I'd react if I ever met the man who ruined my career and my life," Banes says. "Now I know. Of course if you weren't so damn tall I would have only punched you once," he laughs.

Harm glowers at him. "I've heard your name before Banes," he says, his voice raspy with non-use. "You used to work for the DSD."

"As did most of the men here," Palmer says.

"Come on Commander," Banes says, making the title into an insult, "we'll show you to your room." Palmer and Banes share another laugh as Nabey returns to lead the way. Banes walks with Nabey, getting a description of the modifications made; Palmer brings up the rear, guiding their reluctant captive along via a hand on his back.

It is a short walk from the meeting room to the turn in the hallway where Nabey stops. He opens a hidden panel, removes a card from his pocket and swipes it through the security lock there. With a small click, a hidden door opens slightly. Banes takes hold of the exposed edge and pulls. Once opened, Nabey flicks a switch located in the hidden panel and light floods the small room.

Palmer and Banes take turns checking out the room, both nodding their approval of the changes. Measuring 6' x 6', the room has a sloping ceiling that makes the height vary from 2' at the outside edge to 6' at the door. A thin mattress has been placed under the low ceiling, a thin blanket folded on top of it. "Looks perfect to me, Nabey," Palmer voices his approval.

Harm eyes the small room with apprehension. He realizes his situation is about to get much worse than it already is. He ducks his head just in time as Palmer pushes him toward the doorway, his head just missing the top of the door jam. His right shoulder isn't as lucky; the glancing blow against the side of the jam is enough to bring tears to his eyes. Palmer takes advantage of his distraction to remove the handcuffs and shove him the rest of the way into the room. The door is pushed closed behind him. Finally alone, Harm falls onto the mattress and allows the residual effects of the sedative take him into welcome blackness.

xxx

Breakfast is an uneventful affair. Banes introduces Hodge and Sturtevant to the group—there are about 30 former DSD agents at the lodge at this time. He doesn't mention the naval commander they have locked up in an old storage closet. He's not sure he wants to share him yet. After breakfast, Hodge and Sturtevant are taken for a tour of the grounds. Banes and Palmer head off to plan what they want to do with Harm. Ryan is given the task of making sure Harm is fed.

A soft noise brings Harm out of his slumber. The last man from the first meeting opens the door and allows Ryan to enter the small chamber, standing in the doorway to discourage any attempt at escape. Ryan sets the tray in the middle of the floor. His eyes meet Harm's briefly. Harm is surprised to see guilt in those eyes. After setting the tray down, Ryan backs out of the room before the door closes.

Harm contemplates what he's just seen. It appears the young man has reservations about Harm being here. 'Maybe I can use that to my advantage,' Harm thinks. He wonders briefly if the food brought to him might be the cause of the discomfort, if perhaps it is drugged. The growling of his stomach makes any thought of not eating seem very silly, and he begins to eat. A piece of toast, a couple bites of eggs and a bottle of water later he is full. Harm is confused momentarily until he realizes he has no firm facts on which to base his assumptions that they only traveled the night. Based on his inability to eat more, he guesses they had actually traveled much longer—perhaps through the weekend. Frustration at himself for not realizing these facts earlier changes into determination to find a way out, no matter where they are.

Not long after he has finished his breakfast, Harm hears the unmistakable sounds of several people approaching his doorway. He curls up on the mattress, back to the door, pretending to be asleep. He knows it isn't Ryan returning for his tray; Harm hadn't heard the young man approach earlier. The soft click of the door opening precedes Palmer's voice telling him to get up, along with a boot to Harm's spine—Harm's reward for his attempt at subterfuge. Harm reluctantly begins to climb to his feet, stopping when he reaches his knees because Palmer will not allow him room to stand farther.

"Afraid I'm going to get away from you, Palmer?" Harm taunts hoarsely as his hands are once again locked behind him. For this comment Palmer makes sure the cuffs are tight, nearly cutting off the circulation in Harm's hands.

"No Commander. Call it payback or whatever you want; I do it because is makes me happy." It's only a white lie; he wants to humiliate the naval officer as much as he felt humiliated while in Leavenworth. Making sure he's in handcuffs every time they take him out of his room is just part of the revenge. But if he would only admit it to himself, he is wary of Harm escaping. He knows the man has an uncanny ability to get himself out of sticky situations and Palmer is determined that this will not be one of them.

For his part, Harm submits to the small indignities. Something tells him they will be the least of his worries soon.

Palmer leads the way, Hodge and Sturtevant flanking Harm. They continue past the meeting room, instead turning into one of the corridors branching off just past it. A short way down the hallway is a smaller room, the door standing open.

A brick fireplace resides in the corner of the room, signifying it might have been used as a recreational room at one time. More recently, however, the room might have been used as an office, although the desk and chair—the only furniture in the room—look like they've seen better years. The floor is bare concrete and there are no windows.

Banes is waiting in the room, along with Darby and the other man—Padilla—Harm thinks. Padilla is as large as Darby is small, making the two an unlikely pair. According to Harm's observations they, along with Banes, Palmer and Nabey, form the leadership of the former DSD. Harm is unsure where the young man, Ryan, fits in.

When the foursome enters the room, Darby crosses over and closes the door, taking up position in front of it. Harm feels rather than sees Sturtevant remove his handcuffs. The thought of trying to escape barely flickers across before the more rational part reminds him that six against one are not good odds. Harm joins Banes at the desk when directed. Palmer trails along behind him.

"I want you to decipher these," Banes tells him, indicating the stacks of folders on the desk.

"I'm not in crypto, I'm a lawyer," Harm says, not bothering to check the folders.

Harm finds that Banes has a very short temper and he's already at the end of his fuse. Banes doesn't have to sucker punch Harm first this time since he's leaning over the desk. Once again Harm goes sprawling on the floor as Banes' fist connects with his jaw.

Harm fingers his jaw, noting he was hit in almost exactly the same place as earlier. His lip is once again bleeding, inside as well as where it was split outside earlier. "If you'd like to warn me next time, I'll let you hit the other side," Harm says sarcastically from the floor.

Banes is not amused—this time he walks over and kicks Harm in the side. Harm gasps in pain as the steel-toed boot connects with his ribs. He feels one snap. "Any more smart comments, Commander?" Banes sneers.

Harm shakes his head while protecting his injured side in case Banes decides to kick him again. He is thankful when Banes turns back to the folders on the desk.

"It's too bad you didn't have the papers I wanted when Palmer picked you up. Where did you hide them anyway?"

"I didn't hide them; Admiral Chegwidden wanted to see how far I'd gotten, so he took possession of them before I left on Friday," Harm answers after deciding the truth can't hurt at this point and he'd best not do too much to piss off Banes—at least not today. "I left JAG early to make my flight to Miramar. I was supposed to take a Tomcat out and spend the weekend there," Harm adds.

"Cut the crap, Commander. We all know you're a lawyer, not an active pilot despite those fancy wings you wear on your uniform. And we checked all of the passenger logs and your name was not listed. So quit wasting my time with untrue sob stories. I want these papers deciphered. I want to know what they say." Banes had calmed slightly after kicking Harm, but his temper is rising again.

No one moves to help Harm up; they've all been watching impassively. Harm makes it to his feet and walks back over to the desk, this time taking a look at the papers in the folders. Harm immediately recognizes that they are papers from Arams. 'These must bet the earlier sets of information, which means DSD must be the buyers,' he muses. "You want me to decode all of these?" he asks pointing to the stacks of thick folders covering the desk. "That's going to take a long time."

"I can't think of anything else pressing for you to be doing right now," Banes replies sarcastically. "Now, I can beat you until you cooperate, or you can save your self further pain and suffering and just do it. Which will it be?"

Harm acknowledges Banes would most likely make good on his threat. He's sorely tempted to refuse, but curiosity about what the papers contain propel him to give in. 'Course that doesn't mean I'll give them the correct information,' Harm tells himself. Aloud he says, "I'll need some blank paper to work it all out on. I just hope he's coded them all the same or I'll be at this forever."

"Paper and pencils are in the drawer. I'm almost disappointed you've agreed. I was looking forward to teaching you a lesson. Maybe I'll get the chance later," Banes says with a gleam in his eye. With that, the men all file out, leaving Harm alone; the audible scratch of the deadbolt sliding home making him sigh with relief and frustration.

Harm approaches the door and presses his ear against it to determine if anyone had been left behind to guard the door. Three minutes of listening and he doesn't hear anything to indicate anyone is still out there. He files that information away for future reference. Satisfied for the moment that his captors may be a little less vigilant than they should be—therefore the possibility of his escape has just risen—Harm crosses back to the desk and takes a look in the drawers for the items he needs. As Banes said, he finds paper and pencils. He sits down; flips open the first folder and reads the note just inside the first folder. He is astonished to discover the first delivery is dated in 1995, years before the DSD was disbanded. 'What kind of information would they have had to obtain using subterfuge?' he wonders. Before he can begin to decipher the information, the slide of a key in the deadbolt brings his attention back to his situation. A moment later the door opens and Hodge steps through carrying a bag.

"What do you want?" Harm asks after determining the man is alone.

Hodge sets his bag on an open chair. "Thought I'd tape your ribs for you," he says quietly. "If you would prefer otherwise, I'll leave."

Harm is unsure what to make of Hodge's apparent change in attitude. "Why?" he asks suspiciously.

Hodge looks uncomfortable. "Because I don't think that was fair. And I'm afraid if your ribs aren't taped, that broken one could puncture your lung. No matter what you might think of me, I was a good corpsman," he says, growing defiant.

"Until you started making people sick so you could cure them and be a hero," Harm counters.

"Well I didn't do that," he says indicating Harm's ribs. "Are you going to let me take care of them or not?"

Harm can't come up with a single good reason not to have Hodge do what he wants, although a small part of his brain is screaming for him not to trust Hodge. "Please," he says finally.

Hodge carefully helps him remove his shirt. Already, the entire right side of his torso is an impressive array of colors. Hodge looks surprised at the amount of bruising. He gently probes the area, taking note of the places Harm seems most tender. "One is definitely broken, maybe two. Several are cracked. He must have kicked you pretty hard," he comments.

"Yeah. And the steel-toed boots helped," Harm affirms while Hodge pulls his supplies out of the bag.

Working quickly and efficiently, Hodge had Harm's ribs taped in no time. "Do you want anything for the pain?" he asks when he's done helping Harm put his shirt back on. Harm doesn't get the chance to answer. In their preoccupation with the taping, neither hears the sound of a key in the lock. The door slams into the wall as Palmer and Banes see the setting before them.

"What the hell is going on here?" Banes roars, crossing to where the two men have frozen. "I thought we had an understanding," he says to Hodge.

"I guess my training'll be harder to get around than I expected," Hodge answers flippantly. "But I really don't think it would have been a good idea to neglect this. A broken rib can quickly puncture a lung if you're not careful."

"Aw gee, I broke one of his ribs. It's too bad I didn't kick him a little harder and break them all," Banes says nastily. He gives Hodge a look that promises further discussion on the subject. Hodge acknowledges with a shrug, gathers his things and leaves the room with Palmer. Banes turns to Harm. "I suggest you get busy here, Commander," he sneers. "You're already behind schedule."

Harm doesn't attempt to answer; he simply waits until Banes leaves and locks the door behind him before returning to the desk and the open folder. He wishes to sigh deeply, but the pain in his ribs and now the bandages around his torso make that impossible. He settles instead for a mental sigh and makes himself as comfortable as possible before beginning.

xxx

"Tell me about Hodge," Sturgis requests when they've both gotten in the car. The trip to the garage where Harm keeps his Corvette is short, but Mac manages to fill Sturgis in on the main details of their run-in with Hodge.

"He purposely made the crew of the Watertown sick and endangered the ship just to get credit for containing another epidemic," Mac says succinctly. "When Harm called him on it, he attacked him—herniated his larynx in fact. By the time I reached the corpsman's room, Hodge had Harm doped and on his examining table. Harm later told me Hodge was talking about attempting surgery, which he didn't expect Harm to live through. I asked Harm who attacked him. I thought he was indicating Hodge could tell me, but he was actually trying to telling me Hodge did it. I wanted him to go with me to see the captain. He already had problems with Harm's theories, so I thought having someone else would lend credibility to the report. Harm sent me an email to warn me it was Hodge, but by that time he already had his attack planned. He blinded me with ammonia, and then offered to 'treat' it for me. I made it back to Harm and we tried to get away. Unfortunately, Hodge knew the ship better than we did and we got caught. He attacked Harm, knocked him out—quite a bit easier since Harm was still doped—and then tried to strangle me. Harm said I actually stopped breathing for a while. Hodge had brought a syringe full of sedative which Harm knocked out of his hand then used on him. The rest is history," she finishes lightly.

"Hodge is beginning to sound more dangerous than Sturtevant at this point," Sturgis observes. They have reached the garage. This time Sturgis is the one to produce a key. Sturgis does a quick search, but finds nothing is missing. "Nothing here," he says.

"I'm not sure about Hodge being more dangerous than Sturtevant. I think deep down inside he was sorry for what he had done. And anyway, the most dangerous of the three is the one I haven't told you about yet—Clark Palmer."

"Why don't you save that one for over lunch," Sturgis suggests. "It's nearly noon. How about we grab a bite to eat and you can fill me in."

"Sounds like a plan. Just make sure they serve something other than rabbit food," she says.

"Deli alright with you?" he asks.

"Great," Mac responds. They are both lost in their thoughts for the ride to the deli—Mac trying to put the events with Palmer in order, and Sturgis trying to catalogue everything she has told him already. They place their orders and select a booth in the rear of the restaurant.

"Discussion of Palmer isn't going to ruin our appetites, is it?" Sturgis asks once their food has arrived. Mac has ordered a roast beef sandwich, Sturgis chicken salad. Mac shakes her head and they both take a few bites to put the pangs of hunger to rest.

"And anyway, I'm a Marine. I've got a strong stomach. I don't know about you," she quips.

"I can handle anything you can throw at me," Sturgis responds. "And I'm also pretty good at keeping secrets, if you remember."

"How could I forget that?" Mac says. She takes one more bite of her sandwich before beginning the tale.

"Okay. First of all, I wasn't involved in most of what happened between Harm and Palmer. In fact, I was in Washington when Harm first met him. It was Bud who got to go along on that case."

Sturgis makes a mental note to find out why Mac didn't go along, noting the wistful look on her face. "Do you think things would have turned out any differently if you were there?" he asks.

"Probably not. You know how Harm gets. I don't think there would have been anything that would have stopped him at that point. I probably would have just ended up either in the same boat Bud was in, or in trouble with Harm."

"Isn't that how it usually goes?" Sturgis comments.

"Usually," she agrees with a smile. "The case involved a helicopter crash at Twenty-nine Palms. At first it was thought there were two helicopters involved, but there was only one at the crash site. The pilot of the helicopter died in the crash, but the rest of the team and his co-pilot survived. Shortly after Harm arrived at the site, several black SUV's arrived. The agent in charge was Clark Palmer. He had papers that gave him jurisdiction over the site. Both Harm and the CO of the base wanted answers, so Harm and Bud continued to dig. They were out driving when they saw what they reported as an unidentified aircraft. They followed the aircraft to the Bradenhurst Corporation. Wanting answers, Harm crashed through the gate, but only managed to get himself and Bud arrested. The admiral was not amused, and he had others breathing down HIS neck to get Harm to back off. Probably the only thing that kept Harm from serious punishment then was that both Admiral Chegwidden and the CO at Twenty-nine Palms wanted answers and Harm was the only way they were going to get them. After talking with the team that was on the helicopter, Harm was convinced he needed to get onto Bradenhurst property to get to the bottom of things. This time he had Bud create a diversion that allowed him to sneak through the gates. His plan was to get the evidence he needed then get out without anyone knowing he was there. Unfortunately, the aircraft he was looking for found him and used a new soft weapon on him, knocking him out. I'm not sure what Palmer had planned for him—at this point he was officially sanctioned by the DSD—but Harm got away from him. While he was running around the property, he ran across the hangar where they had the aircraft and saw a technician put a disk with the information into a computer. When the man walked away, Harm grabbed the disk then took off because he was spotted. What followed was a chase from Bradenhurst property onto the base. Palmer's men eventually shot out one of Harm's tires, causing Harm to stop the truck he stole. Palmer wanted the disk and when he didn't find it in the truck he decked Harm. Then he thought threatening him with his gun would help. That's where Bud and the CO came in, declaring he was taking Harm and all items on his person into his custody—since they were on the base. Of course Harm just had to deck Palmer before going with the CO."

"Yeah, that sounds like Harm, all right," Sturgis agrees. "Was that when the DSD began to be dismantled?"

""I believe that was the beginning of the end for the DSD. Also, a lawsuit was filed against the Bradenhurst Corporation. They were responsible for the death of that pilot but didn't want to admit any fault in the incident."

"At least Harm found out the truth for the wife of the pilot. I remember him telling me about impact finally knowing the truth had on her," Sturgis comments.

"Yeah, well he's always been after the truth first and foremost," Mac puts in. "Anyway, the next time we saw Palmer was during the Vickers court-martial about four months later. Palmer showed up at Harm's apartment dressed as a delivery driver. Not suspecting anything, Harm let him in and started signing the forms. Palmer used a stun-gun and tied Harm to one of his chairs while he was out. Harm had to sit there while Palmer created a mask of his face. Once Palmer was done, he attached a bomb to the underside of the chair he had Harm tied to and left—telling Harm it was tied not only to a motion detector but also to a timer."

"How did Harm get out of that one?" Sturgis asks, finishing up his sandwich.

"I tried to get a continuance for the trial, but Vickers' lawyer argued against it. Since I was second chair, Admiral Morris contended that I could handle the case myself and ordered the trial to proceed. I sent Bud to look for Harm—he had already called and left over a dozen messages without response. Harm, sitting tied to his chair in his apartment, his mouth taped, was mortified when Bud showed up and started attempting to break down his door. Then Bud got the idea to climb to the roof and try the fire escape. Unfortunately for Bud, there was no fire escape up there. It was storming, too. Bud tried climbing down a drainpipe, but it broke away from the wall. He crashed through Harm's window, nearly setting off the bomb. The power went out and Bud tore the tape off Harm's mouth, only to have Harm yell at him to pull the plug. Before he could reach it, the power returned, leaving Harm still tied to the chair and the bomb, and Bud standing poised to run to the plug. I'm not sure how long they stayed there like that before the power went out again, allowing Bud to pull the plug on the motion detector. He then freed Harm and they hurried to HQ. Palmer had arrived and somehow convinced the admiral he needed to get into the courtroom, taking over my cross on Vickers just as I was about to get him to give up names from the DSD. When Bud and Harm arrived at HQ, they wouldn't let Harm through because he didn't have his ID—Palmer had it. Harm sent Bud on ahead, but a little too late. Harm bullied his way past the Marines and pulled the fire alarm. In the ensuing confusion, Palmer dosed Vickers with a nerve gas. Palmer ran; the admiral, Bud and I got Vickers to the admiral's office; and Harm caught Palmer. They engaged in a fistfight in the corridor outside the courtroom, Harm coming out on top. He tore off Palmer's mask and ran to the admiral's office. When he saw we were having problems with Vickers, he ran back out, grabbed the antidote for the nerve gas he knew Palmer had, and brought it back with him. That time Palmer was arrested, tried and sentenced to Leavenworth."

"Interesting choice of words—'sentenced to Leavenworth.' You didn't say sent. Any reason?"

"Sometime between the trial and the beginning of his stay at Leavenworth, the DSD made a switch. A year later, we found out he had never even set foot on the grounds."

"What happened then?"

"Webb called Harm one night. By the time he answered the phone, Webb's battery died. The next day at work the admiral told us Webb was killed. Harm was overcome with guilt. When we figured out whatever Webb was into was connected to the Bradenhurst Corporation, we flew out to Leavenworth to see what Palmer could tell us about the subject. That's how we found out he'd never set foot on the grounds—they were convinced the man they had was Clark Palmer."

"Webb's obviously alive though. So how did you locate him?"

"When we figured out Webb wasn't alive, Harm went looking for him alone. He sent me to get the admiral to update him and ordered Bud to stay behind. He found Webb all right. Then Palmer found both of them. They exchanged fire, Harm and Webb split up—Webb to get out and get help and Harm to go after Palmer. Palmer found Harm first, shot him and left him for dead. Then he found Webb and forced him to take him to where he hid the superconductor, which was what the whole thing had been about. Just as he was going to shoot Webb, Harm shot Palmer. He chased him up on deck and shot him a couple more times. When Harm turned around to help Webb, Palmer dove overboard." Mac paused and shuddered at the memories. "I actually felt sorry for Jordan," she says quietly.

"Who's Jordan?" Sturgis asks, interested.

"She was Harm's girlfriend at the time. Palmer could have killed her, but instead he used her to get to Harm. Twice in fact. The first time was the night I was just speaking about. He took roses and a nightgown to Harm's apartment, sent her a note 'from Harm' and left a bottle of champagne. When Harm arrived home he said she was sprawled on his bed and he thought she was dead. But she was only sleeping. Harm took her to a hotel for the night. Webb told him the next day they couldn't find any trace of Palmer in the apartment. But Harm had seen a picture of Palmer at his desk. Webb said Palmer was just trying to leave Harm in the Wilderness of Mirrors. And he did."

"What's the Wilderness of Mirrors?"

"It's basically a condition where someone—usually a spy—gets to a point where they're constantly looking over their shoulder, living in fear. Webb said that would be Palmer's ultimate revenge on Harm. Palmer tried to get Harm to kill Jordan after confusing him to the point he was ready to let Jordan—who was a psychiatrist—commit him because he thought he was seeing his father. Fortunately, Harm figured Palmer out and shot him instead. He even accompanied Palmer to Leavenworth, much to the consternation of the CO."

"I can see Harm doing that. So is this the last time?" he asks.

"Not by a long shot," Mac replies. "When Harm was up for Commander someone wrote an op-ed piece and routed it to the newspaper from his computer. He was almost court-martialed for it."

"I remember reading something about that piece and wondering how a naval officer could do something like that. My leave was over before the whole thing ended. But I don't remember reading a name; I definitely would have remembered that."

"Harm's name wasn't released for a while. He found it was actually one of the people who were trying to 'defend' him that actually wrote the piece. She figured, no matter the outcome, that Harm would make a great spokesman for their cause."

"I'll bet that hurt," Sturgis comments. "But where does Palmer come into this?"

"Harm thought it was Palmer who wrote the piece. He went to Leavenworth, but the only copy of the piece he found was downloaded from the paper. I suppose one good thing came from the whole thing…" she says mysteriously.

"What's that?" Sturgis says sounding confused.

"The SecNav personally presented his promotion. I'm sure it hurt him to do that for 'Harmful' Rabb, as he used to refer to Harm."

Sturgis barks out a short laugh. Patrons in the restaurant turned to look at them. "Sorry," he says sheepishly.

Something about the number of patrons causes Mac to think about the time. "We'd better get back to JAG," she says reluctantly. "I'll fill you in on their last encounter on the way back. Otherwise the admiral just might send a search party after us."

Sturgis nods in agreement, wanting to get out of the place where he just made a fool of himself. They leave a tip for the waitress and proceed back to the car. By unspoken agreement, Mac waits until Sturgis—who without comment accepts the keys Mac hands him—has maneuvered into the lunchtime rush traffic before beginning the last tale.

"Okay," Mac begins. "This one is a bit confusing and in some ways downright unbelievable."

"Things with Harm tend to be both," Sturgis comments.

"Well, this one would have been even if Harm hadn't been involved. It actually involves another case, so I'll give you the background there first. It all boils down to his defense of a Sgt. Major Krone. Krone was accused of attempting to murder his wife. Krone's defense—which Harm somehow managed to deliver with a straight face—was simply that he was led to where his wife lay dying by a vision of the padre from his unit in Vietnam—Wiggins. It wasn't enough and Krone was sent to Leavenworth. There he met and somehow befriended Palmer. Palmer managed to convince just about everyone that he was reformed. About that time I received a wedding present sent directly from Leavenworth—a flag case. Inside was a bloody knife. Upon investigation, the only fingerprints on the knife were Krone's. While I was at Leavenworth, Harm was contacted by the Police Lieutenant in charge of the investigation into Krone's wife carjacking. It seems there was another carjacking with the same MO. Once Harm found out that Krone and Palmer were friends, we switched places—he took over the investigation at Leavenworth and I went with the Lt. to talk to a witness in the recent case."

"Whose idea was that?" Sturgis breaks in to ask.

Mac answers with a wry smile, "Harm's, who else? He asked to interview Palmer and was given permission. In the middle of the interview Palmer collapsed. Krone spent the night praying to Wiggins for his friend, Harm watched warily. In the morning, Palmer made a miraculous recovery and claimed to have had a vision—he said Wiggins told him where to find the man who carjacked his wife. He even provided Harm with a description that matched the one the witness gave the Lt. and me. Harm was still skeptical, but Krone convinced him to take a chance since it was the only thing that could clear him. They traveled to Baltimore and sat at the place the last carjacking took place at waiting for Palmer to receive 'instructions' to where they needed to go. After waiting all day, Harm gave the order to return to the plane, cutting off Krone's objections. En route, Palmer claimed Wiggins told him they were headed the wrong way. After an argument, Harm reluctantly told the driver to follow Palmer's directions. They were stopped at a railroad crossing when Krone had a vision of them proceeding and everyone but Palmer and himself being shot and killed—most vividly Harm. He spoke up and warned Harm who had backup waiting. They proceeded cautiously and apprehended a couple of DSD snipers who had been waiting to ambush them. Palmer got several more years tacked onto his sentence and the ironic thing was that to make things more believable, Palmer's compatriots had bought a hot lime-green Impala, which turned out to be Mrs. Krone's. Krone was cleared of all charges and allowed to go free."

"Wow. That sure is pretty unbelievable. What happened to Wiggins?" Sturgis asks while turning the car into the parking lot at JAG HQ.

"Wiggins was killed in Vietnam. Since then members of his platoon who prayed to him have been granted a number of miracles. Harm managed to convince a clergyman accompanying them of two of them—the leading of Krone to his wife in time to save her life and the vision Krone had saving all their lives. He's going to be declared a Saint."

"That's amazing. When will that happen?"

"Harm asked the same question. His answer was in 100 years or so," she laughs. The two officers laugh, Mac remembering and Sturgis contemplating the look on Harm's face when he heard that. "We'd better get inside," she reminds Sturgis, breaking the mood. He merely nods and exits the car, losing himself in the thoughts of all she's told him.

Almost as soon as they enter the bullpen, Tiner descends upon Mac and Sturgis. He advises them that AJ wants to see them ASAP. They detour to their respective offices long enough to drop off their covers before meeting outside AJ's office. "Go right in," Tiner tells them, having already reported their return. Sturgis knocks perfunctorily before opening the door and allows Mac to enter before him.

"At ease," AJ commands immediately upon their entrance. "Have a seat. As soon as Mr. Webb joins us we'll all have a chance to share what we've found, and hopefully go from there."

It's less than 5 minutes later that Webb joins them. The grim look on his face warns the others not to expect too much.


	4. Chapter 4

Revenge

Chapter 4

Hours later, Harm has deciphered just the first two pages of the first file. Although old, the information is apparently still top secret; he doesn't recognize any of it. Much of the time is spent in not only deciphering the information, but also determining a plausible but incorrect translation for the DSD.

Harm's stomach grumbles loudly, signifying it has been quite a while since his sparse breakfast. He is beginning to wonder if he's been forgotten when the door opens. He is instantly on his guard, expecting Banes to enter and harass him once again. Instead, Ryan enters with a tray of food.

"Is this lunch or dinner?" Harm asks. He has no idea what time it might be—only a sense of having worked on the files for hours.

"Its dinner," the young man responds warily. Overhearing his uncle talking, Ryan gets the sense that this man has somehow earned the rancor of every man in the lodge, especially his uncle. He wonders fleetingly if Harm's presence is known to any but the few who saw him this morning. For himself, Ryan has reserved judgment. He hasn't yet uncovered the reason Clark Palmer—or his uncle—hates Harm so much; he believes anyone who gets on Palmer's bad side can't be all bad.

Harm carefully gets up from his seat and crosses to where Ryan has stopped. "Thank you," he says, taking the tray from the younger man. He's grateful the tray doesn't weigh much, after sitting for hours hunched over the desk, his ribs are really hurting. He's sitting back down at the desk when Ryan speaks, startling him.

"What's bothering you?" he asks.

Harm misses the chair and ends up landing heavily on the floor. Pain shoots through his ribs but he manages to bite back a groan. "One broken and several cracked ribs will bother anyone," Harm finally answers between clenched teeth.

"When did that happen?" Ryan asks. "You've been in here all day." He studies Harm further and notices the bruising on his face. "Did you pick a fight with someone?"

"Only if you call getting punched while wearing handcuffs picking a fight. The second time around, although my arms were free, it was such a surprise I didn't have time to defend myself."

"You do something else to piss Clark Palmer off? I heard he doesn't like you much…him or the two men who came with him." Ryan comments.

Harm studies Ryan for a moment. He decides to tell the kid the truth. "It wasn't Clark Palmer, although the dislike between us is mutual, as it is with Hodge and Sturtevant."

"So who did it?" Ryan asks.

Harm thinks back to the early morning when he was introduced to Donald Banes. Ryan was looking over his shoulder, leaning close. Harm wondered then, as now, what the relationship is between the two men. "Donald Banes," he says simply, not knowing what Ryan's reaction will be. Had he not been watching closely, Harm would have missed seeing Ryan's face blanch quickly to white. Just as quickly, the color returns—his face achieving a bright shade of red.

"Why in the world would my uncle do that?" he demands. "Why are you spreading lies about him?"

Harm is taken aback by Ryan's vehemence. "Ask your uncle why," Harm answers quietly. Now that he knows the relationship, he wishes he hadn't said anything.

"I'll do that right before I tell him he should let you starve to death," Ryan retorts angrily. He grabs the tray of untouched food and stalks out the door, slamming it shut behind him. Unfortunately for Harm, he is rational enough to remember to lock it. Harm carefully levers himself off the floor and back into the chair. He figures he doesn't have long to wait before Banes comes to exact his revenge.

Fifteen, then thirty minutes pass before Harm hears the sound of the door being unlocked. He tenses, anticipating the anger and beating he will soon receive; only it is once again Ryan, not Banes, and the young man looks shell shocked. Quietly, Ryan carries another tray to the desk and places it in front of Harm. As he turns to go, Harm sees the bright red handprint on his left cheek. Harm reaches out a hand and gently catches Ryan's arm, bringing him back to the desk. "I'm sorry, Ryan," Harm says softly.

"It's I who should be sorry," Ryan says. "I should have known with my uncle's temper that he is capable of what you described. He's been that way since the company he worked for folded."

Harm reminds himself to not let Ryan know he was the cause of that. "I didn't mean to hurt you. And I didn't know Banes is your uncle. Otherwise I never would have told you what I did; not because what I said is not true, but because it is not something you need to hear, especially from a stranger." He pauses for a moment to let his words sink in. "Did he hit you?" Harm asks.

Ryan winces and puts his hand to his cheek. The flesh is hotter than that surrounding it. "Yeah. I guess I said something I shouldn't have." Ryan seems to be waging an internal battle. Finally, he speaks again. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" he asks.

"I really don't want to get you involved in this, Ryan," Harm says. "But if you know of anyone else that might be willing to help, I'd appreciate if you would help me communicate with them."

"Why don't you want me involved?"

"Frankly I'm concerned about what your uncle would do to you if he found out you were helping me," Harm replies. He looks intently into Ryan's face, trying to convey his sincerity. "He's already slapped you; I don't want to cause it to go any farther." He catches and holds Ryan's gaze before speaking again. "I need you to promise me you won't get any more involved than carrying messages for me."

Ryan weighs his options and decided he'd really rather not make his uncle any more upset with him. "I promise. But if you change your mind and need me for anything else, I'm willing," he says.

"Thank you." Harm's concern touches Ryan, especially after the way his uncle just treated him.

"I think I might know someone who will help you," Ryan says. "I'll go talk to him now." Ryan darts out of the room, leaving a bemused and very hungry Harm behind.

Harm takes a close look at the tray left by Ryan. It contains a tuna sandwich, small bowl of fruit salad, bag of potato chips and a bottle of water. Not the most appealing meal, but Harm makes the most of it, saving some of the water for the rest of the afternoon. He places the tray beside the door when he's finished, now quite satisfied.

Harm crosses back to the desk, wondering how long they're planning on leaving him in this room to work. Another couple of hours later, Harm has two more pages deciphered for Banes and a much clearer idea what the information actually contains. He's having trouble keeping his eyes open and concentrating on his work. Needing a few minutes to rest his tired eyes before continuing, he lays his arms on the desk and rests his head on them. He intends to remain that way for just a few minutes, but events catch up with him and he is asleep within moments.

Just a few minutes later—if only Harm had known—Palmer arrives with Hodge to escort him back to his room. Seeing Harm asleep at the desk, Palmer decides the time is right for his brand of revenge; he's had to stand back and let Banes take out his frustrations…now is his turn.

Palmer tells Hodge to remain at the door. He approaches the desk quietly, determined not to wake Harm before he's ready. He pauses to study his subject for a while. Even in sleep Harm's face is troubled. He is sleeping with his head turned so his uninjured cheek rests on his arms. His injured cheek is an interesting rainbow of colors; black, blue, red, yellow, purple and green. The cut on his lip has stopped bleeding, but is still swollen and discolored. Palmer admires the sight of the injured officer a few moments longer before reaching into his pocket for his contribution to Harm's discomfort.

Hodge watches with interest as Palmer pulls a syringe and a bottle of fluid out of his pocket. He only draws 1 cc of the fluid into the syringe—the stuff he's using is very potent. Once he's sure he has the right amount, Palmer motions for Hodge to join him. Whispering, he tells Hodge to hold Harm while he injects the liquid. Hodge takes up position behind Harm and pulls him into a choke hold at Palmer's signal. Harm wakes abruptly, but not fast enough to get free and stop Palmer. Less than a second and it's done. Hodge releases Harm and steps back.

"Be glad it was me and not Banes who walked in on you sleeping," Palmer says, an amused smile on his face as he watches Harm react to his serum.

"What did you give me?" Harm gasps, the combination of choke hold and drug making him breathless.

"Just a little something I whipped up for you," Palmer gloats. "Would you like to know what it does?" he taunts. Harm is trying to deal with the fire coursing through his body and does not respond. "Ah well, I suppose you'll figure that out on your own," he says.

The burning sensation is already beginning to dissipate. "Palmer, you're heartless," Harm manages.

"I'll give you a small warning; you might want to be careful about pissing Banes off in the future," he taunts. "Now let's see how much work you accomplished before falling asleep on the job. You know…I can't imagine Chegwidden being very happy with you if that were to happen at work," he laughs. "Then again, from what I've heard, nothing you do would surprise him." Palmer picks up the pages and peruses them. "Only four pages. I thought you could do better than that, Commander. Keep up this pace and you won't be able to avoid pissing off Banes."

The burning sensation all but gone, Harm is left with a renewed aching of his earlier injuries. "It's slow going, Palmer. The code is different. Since these are so old, I'm guessing Arams must have gotten worried you would crack it and changed it. Either that or he used a different variation with each batch he sent. What I'm wondering is why it's taken you so long to try to figure this all out. Seven years is a long time to wait for information."

"You'll have to ask Banes why we've waited so long; I'm sure he'd be happy to explain it to you," Palmer says with a secret smile. "Oh by the way…other than the first effects, there are a couple of side effects to the serum I gave you…"

"Like what?" Harm asks, trying not to sound desperate.

"You know what? I don't think I'm going to tell you. I think I'll let you figure them out for yourself since you're so smart. Now stand up like a nice little officer and let Hodge put the handcuffs on," he smirks.

Harm wants to protest, he wants to throw things in a rage or just have a good yell; instead he obediently stands and allows Hodge to lock his wrists into the cold iron cuffs. They actually aren't tight until Palmer checks them. Giving Hodge a glare, he tightens them until they're painfully tight. Hodge shrugs, apologizing to Harm with a look and leads him from the room.

xxxx

"I wish I had better news," Webb begins, unable to meet Mac or AJ's eyes. "So far we're staring at a dead end. Whoever arranged for the switch in Leavenworth doesn't stand out. Palmer and his buddies haven't turned up anywhere—neither has Rabb. The man who infiltrated CIA Headquarters—Donald Banes—has disappeared as well. Wherever they are, they're well hidden."

"What about other former DSD agents?" AJ asks.

"We have those we've been able to locate under 24 hour surveillance, but there are few around."

"Who is involved at this point? AJ queries.

"At the moment just us—you four, my section and I. Depending on how you want to proceed, I'm prepared to involve the FBI and local PD's. I'm aware you probably want this kept as quiet as possible, but I believe we're going to need manpower to find them."

"I think, with what little we've turned up so far, that would be a wise idea," AJ agrees cautiously. "For my part, I have confirmation all three escapees were with Rabb. They brought him here, apparently looking for something. The only thing the sentries could tell me is although he cooperated, Rabb didn't appear happy about it."

"They must have had something keeping him in check; Harm would never willingly abet fugitives," Mac jumps in quickly.

"I'm not stating otherwise, Colonel. We're just presenting facts at this point," remarks AJ.

"Sorry, sir," Mac says, embarrassed by her reaction. "Commander Turner and I didn't find anything of use at Harm's apartment. Both of his vehicles are still there, but so is his bag for his weekend trip. The only real information we got was from a lady in his building. She said she saw the four of them leaving the building somewhere around 2330 Friday. From what she described, Harm had been drugged. She said he seemed 'out-of-it'. She said they pretty much loaded him into an SUV like a side of beef and took off."

"The sentry at the gate reported Rabb was driving when they arrived," AJ comments. "They must have stopped somewhere to switch drivers."

"One of the first things I'll ask the local PD to do is canvas the area for witnesses to an exchange of drivers," Webb puts in.

Mac speaks up suddenly. "Webb, we searched Harm's apartment, but do you think you could send a forensics team over? Maybe find something we might have missed? If he's been drugged—and by all accounts he has been—maybe they can find a trace to substantiate."

"Good thinking, Colonel. I'd like you to arrange the same for his office—after regular hours." AJ agrees.

"I'll set both up right away. What would be the best time to get the team here?" Webb asks AJ.

"2200-0400 would be optimum."

"10 pm it is," Webb says with a slight smile.

"If there's nothing further," AJ says, pausing long enough for someone to speak up, "I believe it's time we all get back to work. Commander, I you have court in an hour if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, sir," Sturgis replies. If the officers had any doubts their CO knows their schedules, this comment has laid it to rest.

"Colonel, if you would find out where Rabb is with the few cases he was handling, we'd best reassign those."

"Yes, sir," Mac acknowledges.

"Lieutenant, you may return to your regular duties after you call to check on your husband," AJ finishes.

"Aye, sir," Harriet manages, barely holding back the tears that threaten at her CO's offer.

"Dismissed," AJ snaps. All three officers—and even Webb—snap to attention before filing out of his office.

"Harriet," Mac calls," If you'd like to use Harm's phone for your call, I don't think he'd mind. I just need to grab those files and I'll leave you alone."

"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate that." They both enter Harm's office, Harriet sitting in his chair and reaching for the phone while Mac directs her attention to the small stack of files on Harm's desk. She checks to make sure she has them all and exits, softly closing the door behind her.

"What is she doing in Commander Rabb's office?" Lt. Singer asks from beside her.

"I don't believe it's any of your concern, Lieutenant," Mac informs her. "As you mentioned, it's the commander's office, not yours." Mac is in her office with the door closed behind her before Singer can think of a response.

"Well it won't be his for long if I have anything to say about it," Singer mutters to herself. "The admiral has to know he left early on Friday, didn't pull any weekend duty and hasn't bothered to show his face today. If I were in charge he'd have been gone a long time ago for some of the stunts I've heard he's pulled. I wonder why the admiral keeps him around." She's still standing in the middle of the bullpen muttering to herself; guiltily she glances around. She feels relieved that it doesn't appear anyone heard her tirade. She walks back to her office and closes the door—she doesn't hear any of the comments made behind her back.

Mac has just begun going through Harm's files when she feels a sharp pain in her right side. It subsides to a dull ache fairly quickly. She wonders briefly if there's any connection between this and the ache in her jaw when she awoke. Shaking off the thought, she resumes her perusal of the files.

A couple of hours later, she has reassigned all of the cases Harm had—other than Arams—giving all but the two most important ones to Lt. Singer. The other two she splits between Sturgis and herself. The rest of the day is spent giving Sturgis and Singer their new cases and continuing Harm's research on the one she kept for herself.

Somewhere in the midst of the case file, Harriet comes in and tells her Bud is no better/no worse. The doctors told her the surgery went fine—as well as could be expected considering his leg had been blown off—but he had not yet regained consciousness. They are not concerned about that yet, but will be if his condition does not improve in a few days.

Thinking back, Mac hopes she made the appropriate responses when she should have. She only vaguely recalls the conversation. She rubs her tired eyes and realizes it's well past time to go home. She gathers all the materials she will need to work on her cases at home and exits her office.

The bullpen is dark, only a few light panels light the area. Mac notices the lights are still on in AJ's office and changes her trajectory from the exit to her CO's office. Tiner is already gone, so she just knocks and enters when she hears AJ call to enter.

"Working late, Colonel?" AJ asks, looking up from his files.

"Yes, sir. I got caught up in the Edwards case file."

"So you took that one for yourself." It's more a statement than question but Mac nods anyway. "What did you do with the rest of the Commander's cases?" he asks.

"I assigned all but the Edwards and Portman cases to Lt. Singer. The latter I assigned to Commander Turner and as you saw, I took the former for myself."

"Excellent. Rabb'll be surprised to find he has nothing to do when he returns," AJ comments. 'I just hope we find him soon enough to make that statement true,' he adds to himself.

"I sure hope we find him soon so he can be upset about having all his cases reassigned," Mac says, mirroring AJ's thoughts. "Did you hear anything else today?" she asks.

"Unfortunately, we haven't had any more luck this afternoon than we had this morning." Mac and AJ share a frown and a sigh.

"Are you heading home soon, sir?" Mac asks.

"No, I'm going to wait for Webb's team. When they've finished, I'll head home for a short time, but I'm not sure I'll be there long."

Caught up in work, Mac had completely forgotten about Webb's teams doing their forensics testing of Harm's home and office tonight. "Is there anything I can do?" Mac asks. "I can stay and wait for the team if you would rather go home," she offers.

"I appreciate the offer, but there is a lot I can do here while I'm waiting. Go home and get some sleep, Colonel. I'll be fine here." At Mac's dubious expression, he adds, "If I need to make that an order, I will. I believe you have court tomorrow with Captain Sebring. It wouldn't do for you to fall asleep in his courtroom," he says.

"I almost forgot about that. I think he's still mad I prosecuted in his trial," Mac agrees.

"I don't believe he holds a grudge against you for that," AJ admonishes. "I think he was a bit upset that you almost succeeded in your prosecution."

"Until Harm pulled another rabbit out of his hat," she says ruefully.

"I'm just glad it wasn't another weapon fired into the ceiling this time," AJ returns, both of them recalling the less than stellar moments of the missing officer.

"Well, no one can argue that his courtroom style isn't unique. Did you know Admiral Morris threatened him with a psyche eval if he ever pulled a stunt like that again in his courtroom?"

"If Rabb ever does something like that again, he'll be answering to me first. Everyone else will have to wait until I'm finished with him before they can have a piece of him—if I leave anything that is."

Mac cringes at the thought of an angry SEAL going after her partner. "I think he's embarrassed by that incident now," she says.

"I would imagine he is. He's matured a lot these last few years."

"I know. I think we both have," Mac admits. "If Palmer had done this several years ago I'd be even more concerned that I am now. I'd be afraid he'd do something really stupid and get himself killed. As it is, I just hope he's matured enough to stay alive until we can find him."

"Although I probably shouldn't admit it, those are my concerns also. But I'm not sure he has the patience to wait. And until something solid comes up, we have to be content to wait for others to locate him. I think that's what really bothers me—not being able to do anything. Palmer, Hodge and Sturtevant are dangers, especially for Harm." He looks at Mac intently as he continues. "Of all the officers under my command, Harm has served with me the longest. He didn't question my orders when I sent him on a HALO jump with a team of SEALS to determine why another aviator was killed. When I sent Commander Krennick to Norfolk to take point in the investigation into Lt. Schonke's death, it was not for lack of faith or trust in him, but for the sake of appearance. I didn't want anyone questioning the investigation because I let someone with a personal stake in the outcome lead the investigation." AJ is called to the past, remembering the early days of his appointment as JAG—and the young and impetuous hotshot he inherited.

"Did you know he finally discovered who killed Lt. Schonke, and Lt. Lamm?" Mac asks, breaking into his reverie.

"I thought Lamm killed her and committed suicide," AJ says, puzzled.

"It was set up to seem that way, but Lt. Lamm supposedly shot himself with his right hand—he was left-handed. With that information and a letter Diane—Lt. Schonke—wrote, he was able to put the pieces together."

"Who was it; and why didn't he make any formal charges?" AJ responds.

"It was Commander Holbarth. He fell off the dock in Norfolk when Harm confronted him with the letter and was crushed by his ship. Harm hadn't filed any formal charges because the letter he had was just a draft and was not addressed or signed—therefore inadmissible in court."

"How did he know who the letter was written to?"

"From what the letter contained and things that were said during the investigation."

"And how do you know about all of this?" he asks.

Mac had been hoping he wouldn't ask that question, but since it's out there, she answers truthfully. "He told me about it. In bits and pieces at first, then he finally told me the entire story…but that wasn't until after Holbarth died."

"You were there?"

"Yeah. I was the reason Holbarth fell off the pier," she admits unhappily.

"I think you need to tell me the whole story," AJ prods.

Mac sighs heavily, letting her mind wander back to the past once again. "It all started on a rainy night. Harm and I were supposed to work on a case at his place…" She tells the tale, leaving nothing out. Mac notes the disapproval on AJ's face when she tells him about the gun and an even more disgusted look when she relates how Harm misled her.

AJ, for his part, says nothing, allowing Mac to tell the entire story before beginning his questions. "Why did you return his weapon?" is the first one.

"It's not his only one," she defends herself. "He would have just gotten another one and used it instead."

He nods at her answer, agreeing with her assessment of the situation. "Why didn't you simply contact Norfolk and have them detain the Commander?"

"I didn't want him to lose his career over it. I was hoping he would come to his senses, but even more, I was hoping I would be able to get there in time to stop him."

"He put both of your careers on the line when he lied to you and left you at his apartment, and yet you still felt the need to protect him?" AJ's query if laced with an unreadable undertone.

"I know it sounds strange, sir. But…" she shrugs not able to explain it.

"Nothing that happens, or has happened, between the two of you since the day you met has been anything less than strange," he comments. "I suppose your similarity with Lt. Schonke is the reason for his reaction when you met," he ponders.

"Harm said he was very shocked that day. Bud just watched him, not knowing how he would react."

"Roberts knew?" AJ says incredously. Understanding dawns quickly. "Of course, he was the PR officer on board the Seahawk, was he not?"

"Yes, sir. And one of the men who found Diane."

"So he's known about this all along. Why didn't he ever say anything?"

"He had the feeling Harm didn't want anyone to know. I've seen a picture of Diane. It's no wonder he looked like he'd been sucker punched that day."

"And the three of you have kept it quiet all these years."

"Well, there are four besides you who know now, but yes."

"Who's the fourth? Wait, don't tell me. It's Turner isn't it?"

Mac nods and the object of their discussion—unaware he's being discussed—knocks softly on the open door.

"I thought everyone had gone home for the evening," he says, perching on the unoccupied chair in front of AJ's desk.

"I was on my way out. The admiral is planning on waiting for Webb's crew," Mac explains. "We just got caught up talking about Harm."

"More stories like the time he fired into the courtroom ceiling?" Sturgis asks.

AJ's head snaps up. "How did you hear about that?" he asks.

"Lt. Singer."

"Figures," both Mac and AJ mutter under their breath. "Actually we did start off with that one," AJ admits ruefully. "We then progressed to the death of Lt. Schonke and the first meeting between the Colonel and Commander."

"I would have liked to have been around for that one," Sturgis comments. "I expect he was pretty dumfounded when he saw you standing there."

"It was almost funny really. I had heard about this hotshot lawyer who was an ex-fighter pilot—how he hardly ever lost a case and was so eloquent in court. Then I meet him and all he could do was stand there with his mouth hanging open. I had been prepared to dislike him immediately, instead I had a long glimpse into Harm the person before he foisted his usual crap on me," Mac smiles at the memory.

"He didn't know until right before he met you that he was even getting a new partner. I sprung Bud on him first because they had met before. I just didn't expect his reaction to you. After what you just told me, if finally makes sense." He breaks off, Mac and AJ caught in past memories, Sturgis attempting to imagine what it was like. "You know, I told the two of you not to get too close; sometimes I wish I'd kept that to myself."

Mac and Sturgis look at AJ surprised. "Sir?" Mac questions.

"Never mind," he says embarrassed; he hadn't meant to say that thought out loud.

Mac observes his embarrassment, but vows to pursue the subject at another time. Now she says, "It's getting late. Sturgis, I believe we should leave the admiral to his paperwork and go home to regroup. We might find something tomorrow that we missed today."

Sturgis graciously takes the hint and agrees. They say their goodnights to AJ and leave, but not before he flashes Mac a grateful look. She manages a small smile of acknowledgement and slips out the door with Sturgis.

'Thank goodness I don't have to explain that one,' AJ muses to himself. 'It's a good thing Harm didn't hear it or I would have had to make something up. But I wonder…will Mac leave it alone or is she going to corner me on it later? I think Rabb's direct approach is preferable in this situation, at least I wouldn't have to worry about a Marine sneaking up on me at some unsuspected moment…' His thoughts trail off as he contemplates the differences in his officers' approaches to problems.

xxx

Harm lies on the mattress, trying to sleep. The drugs coursing through his veins are causing his cheek and ribs to throb. The situation is not helped by the shove Palmer gleefully gave him into the tiny room, causing him to twist to avoid hitting the sloping ceiling head-on. He is immensely grateful—for a while at least—when he feels the effects of the mild sedative Palmer must have put in the drugs.

The nightmares begin almost as soon as he falls asleep. Images from the past mix with visions of possible futures and pure fantasy. The first images are of his first Tomcat crash; the same as the memories he's worked long and hard to banish, only to have them return now in his dreams.

From the fiery crash, the voice of his long-dead RIO berates and the face he'll never forget looks on him with a mixture of sadness and anger in his eyes. In his sleep, Harm begs Mace to forgive him for his failure.

After a while, the face and voice fade away, leaving darkness in their wake. Light is shed on the scene by way of a door opening. Harm watches as a man in a tattered and torn flight suit is tossed into the small cell. The closing of the door does not remove the light and Harm is able to see the man clearly when he turns his way. Shocked, Harm knows in an instant that he is looking at his father—sometime shortly after his capture. Pain crosses his features when he attempts to move, and Harm notices for the first time the mess his leg is in.

Other scenes of his father mix with the others through the night. Fact or fantasy, Harm isn't sure of anything but the man in his dreams is hurting both physically and mentally.

Pure fantasy are the glimpses of Mac and him, together as a family. These segments begin benignly, but quickly morph into the nightmares they really are. In most something destroys the family he longs for and he's left alone. In a few, Mac is the one left alone, and he experiences her pain and anguish through his dreams.

The dreams taken from his memories are no less painful. He relives the many missions he's flown in glaring detail. Occasionally, he gets a glimpse of what might have been had he made a different decision on those missions. He relives the night spent in the ocean, shivering despite the warmth in the little room.

The images that come next are fresh in his mind. The mine field, the bombing they almost got caught in and the mission he flew off the Seahawk—each of these play through his dreams, each one with endings different from those actually experienced. In the mine field, Mac jumps out of the Humvee directly onto another mine; that evening they are oblivious to the approach of the bombs dropping near them; after launching from the Seahawk, he's unable to divert the missile and it destroys the ship.

Try as he might, he cannot wake as these and other images play through his dreams over and over. Shortly before dawn—although without windows in the small room it is impossible to tell, a disturbing image of Mac unknowingly in peril causes him to cry out. Heart racing, he wakes, his hand blindly searching for the phone to warn Mac before he realizes where he is.

The terror of sleep has left him sweaty and shivering. He sits in the dark, knees drawn to his chest with arms wrapped around them, determined not to go back to sleep. The throbbing from his abused ribs—further strained as he was thrashing about in the midst of his nightmares—may be enough to keep him awake, but he concentrates on the task, latching onto any excuse to keep him from dwelling on the dreams. Much to his disgusted relief, he doesn't have long to wait. An irritated Banes arrives not long after he wakes to take him back to the room where the files await.

xxxx

Harm tackles things head-on. He'll jump right into the middle of the situation, seemingly without a plan, and look for the way out when he's gotten as far as he can go—which is usually farther than he should have—hence the numerous reprimands in his file. His impulsiveness has gotten him into trouble many times, but has also allowed him to win what some might consider more than his fair share of cases.

Mac likes to take an overall look at the situation before plunging in. She usually has a plan that aids her in avoiding the pitfalls her partner tends to fall prey to. Where Harm leads with his heart in his cases, Mac leads with her head. Mac's planning has enabled her to mislead Harm on several occasions and pull out a victory in court. Separately, they are two of the best lawyers he's ever seen. Together they make an unbeatable team.

As he's watched them over the years, AJ has seen their partnership grow into friendship and beyond. What he doesn't understand is that why, with everything that has happened with them, they haven't taken the next step. He'd hate to lose one of his best officers, and break up his best team, but he believes the two are meant for more than just friendship.

He looks down at the notice he was reading when Mac found him earlier. It is from the captain of the Seahawk. Harm is being considered for the Silver Star and a special promotion for his actions to save the Seahawk. He contemplates that if the second item comes through, he will indeed lose the man he will always feel is the Navy's top litigator and break up his best team anyway. The note the SecNav added suggests having Rabb replace Arams at the Pentagon. Maybe he'd still be able to help out at JAG on occasion…

AJ's thoughts turn to the last of his senior officers. Sturgis Turner has been under his command for a year now and has yet to be called on the carpet for anything. His approach is by the book, all his moves carefully planned, double checked and executed precisely as planned. AJ has never seen him in a crisis situation and wonders how he will perform when one comes up. He briefly ponders the sense of humor he's noticed in the otherwise straight-laced officer fits in with the careful planner. 'He was so earnest when he declared he was Alec Baldwin,' AJ laughs to himself. 'If the situation hadn't been so tense, I believe everyone present would have had a good laugh at that. But he did come through and locate the Vasilev and sink her.' AJ doubts he will have problems with Sturgis bending the rules, although he has heard there are some tales of Sturgis and Harm at the Academy he might not believe.

One of the things it's hard for him to believe is what has happened to Lt. Roberts. He's watched Bud grow from an insecure young man into an accomplished lawyer and dedicated family man. Bud learned from the best—having years to observe Harm and Mac both as a team and opposing one another. Having a family has helped mature him just as having Harm and Mac as friends as well as mentors has given him a strong beginning to what could be a great career as a lawyer—if he can overcome his injuries.

Guilt floods AJ as he recalls how he pushed for Bud to take an assignment away from HQ—away from his family and those who have helped him along his path. He still believes it was the right career choice, but he is wondering what it will do to the man and his family. Granted, he had no idea Bud would be injured, but duty—especially duty on a carrier—can be hazardous even for a JAG. AJ contemplates the rumors he's heard about Harm having a run-in with a land mine while he and Mac were in country. He recalls the convoluted explanation offered the morning after they were thought lost, and his abrupt dismissal of the chain of events that lead to them being stranded—and nearly killed in a bombing run—overnight in the Afghan desert. How would things be different if it were Harm, not Bud, who didn't walk away unharmed? He is sure the Roberts are strong, but how much can one family endure?

He is startled out of his thoughts by a knock on the still open door. He looks up and is surprised to see Clayton Webb regarding him strangely. "What?" he barks, not wanting the agent to know he was startled.

"I've been standing here 5 minutes AJ. We're ready to start, I just need the key to Rabb's office," he says, unsuccessfully hiding a smirk.

AJ takes the requested item from his desk and holds it out. "Did you find anything at his apartment?" he asks, holding on to the key when Webb attempts to take it.

"Let me get this key to my team and I'll come back and fill you in." AJ nods and lets Webb take the key. He's back a minute later and settles into one of the chairs in front of AJ's desk.

"We didn't find much at the apartment. There are a number of fingerprints that we'll check out. Nothing obvious was left behind—I would have expected Mac and the Commander to have found it if there were—but there were a couple spots of something on the floor. The lab has samples of those now, but I won't have results for at least 24 hours." He pauses a beat. "What exactly are you hoping to find?"

"Corroboration that Rabb didn't leave the apartment willingly. Eyewitnesses reporting that he looked unhappy won't cut it. I need a definite. I'm not sure how the SecNav is going to take it all, and I want something solid to give him to prove my top officer didn't just go off with knowledge that could destroy the country."

"If I recall, they jumped on it pretty quickly when it looked like Rabb wrote that op ed piece, didn't they?"

"Yes. And now that the SecNav's role in Afghanistan—and subsequently this office's involvement—is under review, I don't want anyone to come to the mistaken conclusion that Rabb simply chose to go UA with that information."

"Are you sure he didn't?" asks Webb.

AJ nearly explodes over his desk at Webb, stopping himself with difficulty. "What the hell kind of question is that?" he thunders. "You know as well as I do that he wouldn't so such a thing."

Webb forces himself not to flinch as the full fury of the ex-SEAL washes over him. "It's a fair question AJ," he says mildly. "What do you really feel about this situation?"

The mild tone stops AJ's anger cold, so quickly Webb can see it dissipating from his body; his shoulders slump, his eyes close and he sighs a defeated sigh. "Until someone proves it to me otherwise, I will not even entertain the idea that Harm went willingly with Palmer, Hodge and Sturtevant, no matter what was at stake—he had to have been forced in some way. I just don't know how to convince anyone else of this without proof—proof that I need ASAP."

Webb nods. "For the record, I can't imagine Rabb doing it either. And I will push for the results just as much as I can, without compromising the results."

Webb exits the office to check on his team. AJ returns to his contemplations—this time the man who just walked out the door is the subject. Although he has been fed up with Webb for getting his people—namely Harm and Mac—involved in things a couple of lawyers shouldn't be involved in, he can see the dedication he gives to his country and his job is just as strong as what he and his top officers give to theirs. But while he is not sure if Webb is loyal more to a company than to a country, he is certain his officers have enough respect for their 'company' to put their country first. His officers—with the exception maybe of Singer—would give their lives, not only for their country, but also to save one another. Rabb has shown such selflessness on several occasions—the most recent being the incident with the dirty nuke. Had Harm not been able to divert the nuke, he would have lost two—possibly three—of the people he's come to think of as his family.

That thought stops him for a moment. Just when did they go from being officers under his command to family? It had to have been a feeling that began early in their acquaintance because, looking back he realizes he's gone farther for Harm, Mac and Bud than any other's he's had in his command before. Add Tiner, Harriet, Sturgis and even Gunny Galindez and he feels as though his family is complete. Oh, sure, he'd never hesitate to ream one of them out when they deserve it, but he sometimes feels that is the last thing he wants to do—just like a father wanting to teach his children a lesson, or punish them for doing wrong, but not wanting to break their spirit by becoming too harsh. Why isn't it easy to find the middle ground and still maintain the discipline necessary to keep things functioning properly?

He snaps himself out of his revere. 'This isn't getting any of these files completed,' he berates himself. No sooner does he turn his attention to the files on his desk does Webb return; finishing up a conversation on his cell. "Thank you. I'd appreciate it if you would keep me informed," he says into the handset before ending the conversation.

AJ actually completes the first file, affixing his signature and setting it aside before asking Webb about what his crew might have found—or not found.

"There are a lot of fingerprints; other than that, nothing. Now this may sound a little farfetched, but I'd like to have a check done on the inside of his safe. Do you have access?"

"I have a way to get in," AJ answers somewhat cryptically. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"I'm hoping proof that Rabb had to allow Palmer in his safe. That's the only place that hasn't already been searched. My thought is that if Palmer brought Rabb here for something—most likely the Arams papers—he may have had him open the safe, but he wouldn't have allowed him to reach inside. We got two sets off the handle, but only one off the dial itself. If that second set turns out to be Palmers, and if we also find his prints inside, it could be the proof we're both looking for."

AJ considers the implications of what Webb is saying. "I believe most of what is in the safe is not highly classified, but I'd rather not take any chances. I would prefer if you would have a single technician who is cleared for sensitive materials perform the tests."

Webb doesn't even hesitate, "I have someone who fits that description. He had to give up field work when he got caught in the middle of a firefight a few years ago. He opted to move to research instead of retiring, and insisted on being trained to do forensics because he still wanted to get out in the field occasionally. He handles our most sensitive documents and has been called in to brief the President on several occasions. Is that satisfactory?" he asks almost, but not quite, sarcastically.

"Better than I thought you could produce," AJ admits. "Let's get it done." He opens his safe, removes a small black book from the corner and heads to Harm's office with Webb trailing behind.

In anticipation of AJ's request, Webb has already cleared out the majority of his crew; only one man remains. "Would you excuse us for a moment, Bob?" Webb asks. Without comment the man exits the office and closes the door behind him. Webb pointedly turns his back as AJ consults the little black book and opens Harm's safe.


	5. Chapter 5

Revenge

Chapter 5

Mac drives aimlessly for a while after leaving the office. Concern for Harm is in the foremost of her mind. From past experiences with Palmer, she's fairly certain they won't kill Harm right away. Palmer will want to toy with him for a while, thinking of something cruel enough to make him beg for the release of death. They have to find him before that happens.

Hodge and Sturtevant are unknown quantities. How much influence will they have regarding Harm's fate? Hodge puzzles her; he is trained to save lives, however he attempted to kill both Harm and her outright. When she first saw Harm lying on the table hurt, drugged and unable to speak she was angry and afraid. Although she had misunderstood when Harm was trying to tell her it was Hodge who attacked him, he later acknowledged that her taking him with her had most likely saved his life—she figured they were even after he brought her back to life in the machinist's room. All their bickering and fighting prior to that trip was forgotten and their friendship got back on track. Hodge had seemed remorseful enough, but it had not convinced the jury to give him a light sentence. She had to admit she had all but forgotten about him before this happened.

Sturtevant, on the other hand, did not show any remorse at his trial. The fact that he had left Harm and DeMara in the hold to drown horrified the jury. All in all, although he didn't directly try to kill Harm, she feels he is the more dangerous of the two.

Her musings at an end for the moment, she looks around and realizes she's driven to the Wall. There are not many visitors this time of night so she has no difficulty finding a place to park. Making her way to the correct panel, Mac traces her fingers over the name of her best friend's father.

"Lt. Rabb," she says aloud, "If there was ever a time to keep watch over your son, I believe this is it. The three men who took him are ruthless. Harm has knowledge we believe they need, but I am afraid what they might do to him to obtain it. Harm can be as stubborn as he can be obsessive and that has the potential to make his life very difficult until we find him." Mac stands in silence for a few minutes, her fingers resting on the name. "I love your son and I'm going to do all I can to see him safely home because I quite frankly don't know what I'd do if he wasn't around. I don't know how he feels about me, and right now that doesn't matter at all. I just want him back in my life."

Mac turns and walks away from the Wall, tears streaming down her face. Devastation would be to find out Harm just thinks of her as a friend—her life would be worth nothing if she didn't have him around to be that friend.

The walk to her car is short, but by the time she gets there she's managed to dry her tears. So involved is she in her thoughts she does not see the man slip out of the shadows near and follow her.

Mac has just unlocked her car door when she's startled by a hand on her arm. She swivels around to attack and stops in surprise when she comes face to face with Sergei.

"Sergei, you startled me," she gasps. "Don't sneak up on me like that, please. I could have flattened you."

Sergei smiles his lopsided Rabb grin. "I am sorry Colonel MacKenzie. I did not mean to startle you. I saw you at the Wall and heard what you said. Did something happen to my brother?" he asks.

Mac mentally chides herself for forgetting to call Sergei. "I'm afraid so. He's been missing since Friday evening. We know who took him, but not where they went," she replies.

"I would like to help find him if I am permitted." Still a Russian citizen until his application is approved, Sergei knows there are some things he is not allowed to do—work among them, unfortunately.

"I'll run it by the admiral tomorrow, although I'm afraid we are going to be at a standstill for the next couple of days until we can get some information." She hates to admit there might not be anything she can do for Harm right now, but she's more realistic than her sometime obsessed partner. At this point Harm would be running around half-cocked, wasting his time and energy looking for something—anything—to give him an idea. She admits that sometimes his methods do seem to produce results, but more often than not they just serve to get him in trouble.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more now, Sergei. We would like to keep this out of the media and although I'm sure you wouldn't let anything slip, I have to clear it before I can tell you more. Why don't you drop by HQ tomorrow and I'll see what I can do for you?"

"Thank you. Whatever you can tell me, I will be grateful. Harm has helped me in many ways. I would like to do something for him."

They stand in silence for a moment. "I'd better be getting home. Is there anywhere I can drop you?" Mac asks, breaking the silence before it can become uncomfortable.

"Thank you, no. I prefer to walk on such a beautiful night," Sergei responds, ignoring the cloudy skies and sprinkles that have begun to fall. "After having my freedom taken from me in Chechnya, I am grateful for the opportunity to wander when I wish," he says as an explanation when he sees the dubious look on Mac's face.

"I suppose your whole outlook on life would change after something like that," she comments. 'And as much as I hate the idea of Harm locked up by anyone, I'll bet he's giving them a hell of a time keeping him locked up.'

xxxx

With two versions of Arams' code deciphered, the work is beginning to go a bit faster. What is taking the most time is determining what information he needs to protect and what is common knowledge, and therefore won't hurt to reveal. Actually, putting the common knowledge in with the other information may make it less likely they will question the rest of his work.

The first file is completed before long and Harm turns his attention to the next. He realizes that the longest part of it all will be trying to figure out the code for each file—this next one seems to once again have a slight variation.

As with the previous file and code, Harm does not put anything in writing but what he wished Banes and the others to see—which means doing all the decoding in his head. He is nearly done with the second folder from 1995 when Ryan arrives with a tray. The young man can't stay and chat; Darby had entered the room with him and is watching Harm like a hawk. He wisely remains where he is until the door is locked behind the two men.

Lunch—quite possibly the only meal he'll be given for the day—consists of a bowl of vegetable soup, salad and two pieces of bread. A bottle of water sits in the corner of the tray. It's not a lot of food, but it is all Harm can do to clear the tray. The water he conserves, figuring he won't get any more until tomorrow.

Once finished, he moves the dishes to the center of the tray, uncovering a folded piece of paper. The note proves to be from Ryan—the man he suggested may be interest in helping Harm has agreed to help create a diversion to distract his guards. The note instructs Harm to be ready in three days at the time they take him back to his room. Darkness will give him cover and the best chance to get away.

Harm is greatly cheered by the note, which he places back under the dishes before setting the tray by the door. Hopefully Ryan will think to look for it since Harm has no way to hide it.

The afternoon and evening pass quickly. Harm finishes the second folder—content with the knowledge that what he's deciphered so far is material that's been declassified. Putting the finishing touches on his work, he sets it aside and reaches for the next in the stack. He blinks his bleary eyes and realizes how tired he is. Determined not to fall prey to Palmer's tricks again, he opens the file and forces himself to read the attached note.

No sooner has he finished with the note does the door open and Palmer and Sturtevant enter. Neither man expects Harm to put up a fight so both are surprised when Sturtevant ends up on the floor. "Don't you want any of my serum tonight, Commander?" Palmer asks, feigning hurt.

"I will not willingly allow you to inject me with whatever it is you've come up with," Harm replies.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Palmer retorts. "Let him up. I won't force you tonight."

Harm regards him suspiciously for a moment before complying with the order. He steps away from Sturtevant quickly, but not quickly enough. Sturtevant grabs his right arm, twisting it cruelly behind him, forcing Harm to his knees.

Palmer looks at him impassively. "If it wasn't going to be so much fun to watch you beg in a few hours, I'd give this to you now," he says, indicating the syringe. "By the way, did you have pleasant dreams last night?"

Harm scowls. "I don't think much of your methods Palmer, and if you think I'm going to beg or even allow you for more of that crap then you don't know me as well as you seem to think."

"Ah, defiant even when defeated. I don't think you'll retain that attitude for long. And I believe you're going to be sorely mistaken. Get him up," he says to Sturtevant. "Let's get him back to his room."

Not releasing his hold on Harm's arm, Sturtevant forces him to his feet. Instead of suggesting he release his hold, Palmer simply opens the door and allows Sturtevant to guide him out into the hallway. 'This is even better than the handcuffs,' he muses gleefully.

Banes and Hodge are standing outside the door to his little room. He misses the silent communication between the two DSD agents, intent as he is on keeping his feet under him. They buckle just as he reaches the doorway. Sturtevant adds to the momentum, propelling him inside and slamming the door behind him. He settles on the mattress, confident that without the drug fresh in his system he will get some decent sleep. He doesn't think to wonder why Palmer gave in so easily.

Outside his room, the foursome moves off, up the hallway beside his room. "Who wants first watch?" Palmer asks as they enter a small room next to Harm's.

"I'll take it," Hodge offers. They all know since Harm rejected the drug Palmer wants him watched in shifts until he starts begging for more. Palmer's test subjects hadn't lasted more than an hour or two before they were crawling on their hands and knees to him. Every man in this room wants the privilege of seeing Harm beg, but they all privately agree it will most likely take him longer to voice it.

No objections arise; Hodge makes himself comfortable in front of the small television that was just installed a couple of hours earlier. The camera in Harm's room is also a recent addition; one that will show any activity—or lack thereof—in the small room. The three men leave, leaving Hodge to watch the sleeping form of Harmon Rabb, Jr.

xxxx

Mac is unable to keep the sleepless nights from showing. Make-up no longer hides the dark circles under her eyes. She's had strange dreams since the night they realized Harm was missing. The worst night so far has been Tuesday night. The nightmares didn't start until the early hours of morning, but she spent the entire night tossing and turning, sure something bad was going to happen.

The bullpen is fairly quiet when she enters Friday morning. She leaves her cover and briefcase in her office and hurries to roll call—she's not yet late, but is cutting it close.

There is a strange silence in the conference room. Everyone—including AJ—is already present. She quickly takes her usual seat, noting the presence in the seat usually taken by Harm. Before she can begin to speculate as to the meaning of the new arrival, AJ begins the meeting.

"I have a small announcement to make, and then we'll get down to the cases. This," he says, indicating the dark-haired woman on his right, is Lt. Commander Tracy Manetti. The SecNav believes that with our current personnel shortages we could use another investigator and lawyer. She comes highly recommended. Commander, I will introduce you to the rest of the team at the end of the briefing."

Manetti nods, glancing at her fellow officers to judge their reactions before turning her attention to AJ.

Singer is frustrated to receive a number of small cases and assigned second chair to Sturgis for the prosecution of the only worthwhile case to come in. Manetti is assigned to assist Mac with the defense. AJ then asks for and receives updates for the other ongoing cases before opening the floor for questions.

An update on Bud's condition is asked for. Harriet reports that her husband still hasn't woken from the coma he slipped into following the surgery. The doctors believe his body is simply conserving strength, and once a little more healing is accomplished, Bud will awaken. All the JAG crew can do is pray for a miracle.

A few case related questions are asked by a member of the junior staff, all quickly clarified. Once the questions are answered and no more asked, AJ dismisses the junior staff and introduces Manetti to Mac, Sturgis, Harriet and Singer.

"Lt. Sims, will you show Commander Manetti where everything is?" AJ asks. "Lt. Singer, since you are the junior officer, I need you to transfer your belongings back to your old office and give Commander Manetti the office beside Colonel MacKenzie," he instructs.

Harriet's "Aye, sir" is cheerful, Singer's is glum. "May I ask why she can't just use Commander Rabb's office?" Singer asks.

The silence in the room is deafening. The other officers still in the room stare at her in shock. AJ feels the start of a slow burn beginning and forces himself to remain calm and collected. "Lt. Singer, Commander Rabb's office is not open for use by junior offices. He is the senior attorney in this office and is to be respected as such, even in his absence. Furthermore, until it is determined under exactly what circumstances he disappeared; it is a crime scene, which I will allow no one to tamper with. Am I clear?"

Singer pales at AJ's first words and grows whiter and whiter as he progresses. "Aye sir," she squeaks when he's finished; she then turns and practically runs from the room.

Manetti feels very uncomfortable once Singer's gone. Other than herself and Harriet, only AJ, Mac and Sturgis are left. While she's the only one of the group shocked by Singer's outburst, she's the only one not in shock because of it.

AJ manages to put aside the last of his surprise, the slow burn of anger he experienced completely obliterating it. "Lt. Sims, if you would go ahead and show Commander Manetti around and introduce her to the rest of the staff, I need to speak with Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Turner. We'll be out in a few minutes to make sure Singer moves her personal belongings."

"Aye sir," Harriet responds. Turning to Manetti she says, "If you'd come with me ma'am, I'll give you that tour."

"Thank you," Manetti says. These are the first words she's spoken and the soft southern accent seems out of place with her Italian name and Asian looks. The two women exit the room with more dignity and at a more sedate pace than Singer.

AJ waits until the door has closed behind the two junior officers before turning to his two remaining senior attorneys. "The SecNav recommended her personally," he informs them. "He wouldn't even allow me to consider anyone else to fill the position; he told me I needed another attorney and then told me who was going to fill it. I don't know what their connection is, but be careful around her, she could be trouble."

"Was this the SecNav after being sworn in, or just before the swearing in?" Mac asks.

"This would be our current Secretary of the Navy." AJ clarifies.

"Do you mind if I do some discrete digging?" Sturgis asks.

"Go right ahead," AJ agrees. "But make sure you do it carefully. I don't want to raise any red flags on this one."

"Understood sir,"

"One more thing; Webb called me this morning to say he has the results from the lab tests his people ran on the two substances in Rabb's apartment. He'll be here around 1200. If you'll report to my office at that time and bring Lt. Sims with you, he'll only have to relay the information once."

Apprehension wars with relief—they're finally beginning to get a bit of useful information on the case—or so they hope. "Aye sir," they chorus once again.

Manetti is alone in her office by the time they reach the bullpen. Singer's few personal items have been removed and the blonde is nowhere in sight. Mac gives a perfunctory tap on the edge of the door before entering.

"Ma'am," Manetti says, jumping to her feet.

"At ease, Commander," Mac allows. "We're not so formal here you have to jump to attention anytime a senior officer enters your office, or you run into them around the bullpen. Only the admiral and visiting senior officers."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Now, we were introduced, how about telling me a little about you. We'll be working together and I wanted to take a few minutes to get to know you better."

Manetti attempts to gauge what it is Mac wants to know. "You're wondering why the SecNav wanted me assigned to his office, aren't you," she asks bluntly.

"Actually, what I had in mind is where you grew up, what kind of family you have," Mac counters calmly.

"I'm sorry ma'am," Manetti apologizes. "I assumed that since the three of you remained in the conference room after everyone else left…" she trails off embarrassed.

"Understandable, Commander, however all officers here are treated according to their performance—none are treated more harshly or given special treatment because of race, gender or how they ended up in the office. Admiral Chegwidden is fair and generous as long as you don't abuse it."

"Do you mind if I ask what might be an inappropriate question?" Manetti asks timidly, hoping to get the spotlight off her.

"Let me guess; you want to know about Commander Rabb," Mac guesses—correctly it turns out.

"Yes ma'am. I've heard his name and I know he's currently missing… I was just curious as to what kind of officer he is."

"You understand I will not discuss anything to do with the current situation." It's more a statement than a question, but Mac waits for Manetti's slightly disappointed agreement before going on. "Simply put, Harm is one of the best officers I've had the pleasure to meet. He's my best friend. He's seen me at my best and at my worst, but he's not treated me any differently because of it. In addition to being a top-notch lawyer—whose quest for the truth sometimes gets him into trouble—he's also one of the best Tomcat pilots in the Navy.

"He's loyal to his friends—almost to a fault. He's passionate about justice; but cross him and you'll have an enemy you don't want. He has and will go to the ends of the earth for truth, justice, answers or just plain loyalty. And I'd follow him anywhere, help him in any way I could. It might surprise you to know that Harm has been with this office longer than anyone else, including the admiral. Harm's trained with the SEALs and Force Recon in the course of his duties—and that's only what I know from what he's told me, or what I've seen in the last seven years. There are things in his past he won't talk about to anyone." Mac stops abruptly, realizing she could go on for hours and not cover every detail of Harm's life and what he means to her.

Manetti has listened in awe about this man she's heard so much—but yet so little—about. "He sounds like someone I'd really like to meet," she says. "So what does he look like?" She secretly figures that someone who sounds so wonderful has to be short, fat and ugly; all of his good deeds merely cover-up to make people like him—not that she'd ever share those opinions with anyone.

"The epitome of tall, dark and handsome," Mac replies. Manetti must look incredulous because Mac adds, "Come into my office. I have a picture in there." She suits actions to words and walks out of Manetti's office and into hers.

Manetti follows readily and is stunned by the picture Mac shows her. It was taken at the first NATO ball the attended—Harm in his mess dress, Mac in the black dress—the one where he risked his life to save Princess Alexandra. "Is that you?" Manetti asks. "You look a lot different."

"Well, that picture is several years old. Let me see if I can locate a more recent one," she says rummaging around in her desk. "Aha, here's one less than a month old." She hands Manetti the picture of the two of them in their desert fatigues in Afghanistan.

"The two of you were on deployment?" Manetti asks.

"Not exactly. We were investigating a friendly fire accident that claimed the lives of a family. It turns out the target figured he was a target and he set the family up. We were also trying to track him—Kabir Atef."

"That's the one who shot the dirty nuke at the Seahawk, isn't it?" Manetti asks. "I heard some crazy pilot actually let the nuke lock onto his aircraft and led it away from the carrier. I'm not sure I'd ever want to meet someone who has that kind of disregard of his own life," she says, shuddering.

"It wasn't disregard of his own life; it was an attempt to save the lives of everyone on the carrier. By the time the lead fighter got a lock on the missile, they were inside the safe zone. Destroying the nuke then would have still signed the death warrants of most if not all of the crew of the carrier. He thought his life—and that of his RIO—was worth risking in an attempt to save thousands."

"That's a decision I'm glad I won't ever have to make. Did you talk to the pilot after he returned to the US then?"

"Before. I was on the Seahawk at the time," Mac admits. "Frankly, I don't know how he made that flight at all. He'd been without sleep far too long. But when the Skipper tells you to get into a plane and fly a mission, it's not something you argue with."

"Why didn't he just tell the skipper he hadn't had enough sleep? Come to think of it, why wouldn't the skipper have been aware of the situation in the first place?" Manetti queries.

"He wasn't a member of the Seahawk crew."

It finally begins to dawn on Manetti. "Wait a minute. You don't mean to tell me Commander Rabb is the one who played follow the leader with that dirty nuke, do you?"

"That's correct Commander. Harm was no sooner cleared from sickbay after our return from Afghanistan when he was ordered to change into a flight suit, grab his gear and get his six in that Tomcat."

"But why would they send up a lawyer instead of a pilot?"

"There are exercises the squadron does involving shooting down missiles in flight. It's not an easy task and they wanted the best. The lead pilot had the best Missile-X scores for the cruise, but Harm holds the record for the ship. The only reason he didn't fly lead is because—as you pointed out—he's a lawyer."

"And based on scores years old, they chose him to fly the mission?" Manetti is stunned.

"That, his flight status is current and the Skipper had seen him fly before."

"If he's that good, why did he become a lawyer?"

"That's not a question I can answer for you," Mac answers carefully. "Try asking Commander Rabb sometime; he'll either tell you or he won't, I can't say."

'Is she trying to protect him?' Manetti wonders to herself. Any further conversation is cancelled; Tiner knocks and pops his head into the open door. "Colonel, the admiral would like to see you in his office," he says.

Mac realizes Webb must have arrived while she was talking to Manetti. Sure enough, she's the last to arrive, Sturgis and Harriet entered the office directly behind Webb.

"Okay Webb, what do you have?" AJ demands as soon as Mac has closed the door behind her.

"First of all, we could find no signs of break-in at Rabb's apartment, but with Palmer involved, that's not unusual. Second, we found prints belonging to Palmer and Hodge in the apartment, consistent with the eyewitness report. Third, Palmer's prints were found in Rabb's office and most importantly, in his safe."

"Why is that so important?" Harriet asks.

"Because it confirms our theory that he was looking for something. If Rabb was a willing participant, he would have gotten the items out of his safe himself."

"It has to have been the Arams file that I asked for before Rabb left for the weekend," AJ puts in.

"Exactly. And that ties Rabb's kidnapping to the DSD in more ways than one."

"All right, we have that settled," Sturgis says impatiently. "What about the two substances we've been waiting on the lab results for?"

"Patience Commander, I'm getting there. The first substance was easy to identify, although there was less of it. It's a very strong sedative, used primarily for animals. Although it is not generally used for humans, it is not fatal if the doses are kept regulated. They probably chose it because it takes effect very quickly."

"But if they don't watch how much they give him it could prove fatal?" Harriet asks.

"Unfortunately yes, as with any drug. Any way you look at it, it's going to be tough on his system."

"What about the second substance?" asks Mac.

"It proved much harder to identify. We'd very much like to know how they got hold of it. It turns out to be the antidote to an experimental nerve gas. If it is administered before hand, exposure to the gas is non-lethal, although still highly unpleasant. It's only good for a couple of hours though. I suspect they gave that to him right before they left his apartment and warned him that if he didn't cooperate, they would release the gas here."

"Palmer's already made reference to the number of people Harm has killed. I'm sure he would have brought that up when explaining the situation to Harm. Not that Harm would have done anything to push them into releasing the gas anyway," Mac adds hastily.

"We all know Rabb would never endanger anyone's life on purpose," AJ says. "That does explain a lot though."

Everyone is silent, considering the implications of the information. Basically, it proves Harm didn't go along willingly—no matter what it might have looked like to a casual observer. Now, more than ever, they need to find where Palmer took Harm. Sturgis makes such an observation.

"Where are your people in actually locating Commander Rabb?" AJ asks.

"Not very far. We have no eyewitness as of yet who can place Rabb in a vehicle—other than the SUV they brought here. That vehicle has been recovered and there is absolutely nothing useable in it. All fingerprints were wiped clean, the interior and exterior were detailed and it was sitting in plain sight at a used car lot."

"Did the lot owner say what kind of car he sold the person who brought the SUV in?" Sturgis asks.

"None. He paid the guy who bought it by check. He said the guy just tucked in his pocket and walked away. A check on the account shows it was cashed at a bank a few blocks away."

"Who was the check made out to?" Mac questions.

"Larry Nabey, a known DSD agent. We're canvassing the area looking for someone who may have sold him a car."

"What do you think the chances are that he simply had another vehicle waiting?" Sturgis asks.

"What is this, a tag team?" Webb complains. Mac and Sturgis share a smile, Harriet and AJ just look amused.

"Be grateful Rabb isn't here," AJ comments. "He wouldn't even allow you to finish answering the first question before asking the next."

"I know," Webb says somberly. "And I'd much rather be dealing with that than holding this meeting to try and find him. To answer your question, Commander, it is very likely he had another vehicle waiting. The other possibility is he may have stolen one, but that would ultimately bring more scrutiny than keeping the one they were driving."

"How far does the search radius now extend?" AJ asks.

"We have heard back from approximately 30 percent of those we've contacted. All large cities are on the lookout and the smaller community police forces are being appraised now. Since we don't know what kind of vehicle they might have been driving, or even if they did drive anywhere out of the city, our job is that much harder."

"Have you had any luck with the point they must have switched drivers?"

Webb is not sure what to tell them. They did find a witness who saw them after they left JAG… He decides in an instant the truth would be best; he doesn't want another broken nose. "A man has identified Palmer and Sturtevant from pictures. He told us he saw an SUV pull into an empty lot and he watched a man in uniform jump from the driver's side, run a couple of steps and collapse. Palmer and Sturtevant got out, picked him up and dumped him into the rear of the vehicle. He said they were headed toward the beltway when they left the lot."

"He couldn't identify Harm?" Mac asks softly.

"Didn't see his face. All he could tell us was the man was tall, had dark hair and something on the front of his uniform glinted in the light when Palmer and Sturtevant picked him up. He also mentioned there was movement in the vehicle right before the man jumped out. More than likely they had the sedative ready as soon as he stopped the vehicle."

The four officers digest the information. AJ is the first to break the ensuing silence. "I guess there's nothing more to be done until another eyewitness is found," he says reluctantly. "Has there been any progress made in determining the buyer of Arams' papers?" he asks.

"Based on your suggestions, we began interviewing all the former DSD agents we could find. Their numbers are very small. The most helpful information we got was from the widow of an agent who confided her husband thought his superiors were buying US secrets and planned to sell them to the highest bidder. He apparently got caught because he was killed in a car 'accident' the next day. While the woman was at the hospital identifying her husband's body, their home was ransacked."

"Does she have any idea where they might be holed up?" Harriet asks.

"No. One former agent mentioned something about a lodge somewhere in the mountains, but that doesn't give us much to go on."


End file.
